Chase You Down Until You Love Me
by Middle C
Summary: Movie star Bella swan is a sworn hater of the paparazzi. She believes they are 'parasites' feeding off of her celebrity status. Will the new bronze-haired pap she spots at a premier be able to change her mind?
1. Paparazzi

"Perfect" said Alice as she finished spraying my hair with what felt like five cans of hairspray, "Now, let's get you into that dress." Alice had been my official stylist since I became 'A-list'and my unofficial stylist / best friend since the summer before junior year in high school.

Her parents bought the house next door to my Mum and I in Beverly Hills that July. She had heard there was a girl her age next door and came right up and knocked on our door the minute she arrived. "Hi, I'm Alice," she said before I even finished opening the door, "You and I are going to be the best of friends!" On questioning her logic behind this statement she had claimed to 'just know these things', and just like that Alice became a permanent fixture in my life.

"You look amazing, Bell, you're gonna knock 'em dead tonight, girl!" Gazing at my reflection in the full length mirror in my closet, I couldn't help but agree with Alice, I did look 'amazing'. My hair fell in soft curls around my shoulders, with the some sections held back with tiny diamante pins. My make-up was all smoky eyes and nude lips and the dress was perfect. Floor length, metallic silver sheath with a black velvet belt. Thanks to Alice's styling I had never ended up on a worst-dressed list and I hoped I never would. "What can I say, Al? You've done it again," I said to her mirrored reflection, "I know," she replied grinning back at me.

"You're scheduled to arrive on the red carpet at seven, so the car will be here in…" Bree stopped as she took in my appearance. "Wow, Alice, you've really outdone yourself this time. Bella you look awesome!" My personal assistant was a dream; she knew my schedule down to the minute, each day. "Anyway, as I was saying, the car will be here in…" She consulted her watch, "eight minutes, now. Are you ready?" Alice answered for me as she stuffed 'essential' items into my clutch, "Just let me put in the lippy, and yes, we're done."

The driver rang the door bell exactly eight minutes later (God-bless you Bree) and I was on my way.

The critics were claiming my latest film 'Oscar-worthy' and praising _my_ performance, most of all. This made me entirely uncomfortable; I hated the pressure that came from those reviews and the pseudo-praise/ compliment fishing it garnered from my co-stars. "Oh, Bella you'll get the Globe this year for sure, maybe even an Oscar… I probably won't even be nominated…" cue expected gushing praise in response.

It had taken the whole summer before I began drama school for Alice to teach me how to walk gracefully in heels. "You'll thank me when you're stepping out of a stretch Limo in front of a million photographers and not falling on your face" she had explained to me. The heels she had me in tonight were 4 inch stilettos held on only be a thin ribbon around my heel, but as I had been trained, I stepped out onto the red carpet with an elegance I barely knew I possessed. So as I always did in times like this, I did, indeed mentally thank Alice.

And there they were, the million photographers she had warned me about all those years ago, the paparazzi. Otherwise known as the bane of my existence.

Now, I was no stranger to film premiers and awards ceremonies and the like, so I knew the drill: Look this way, look that way, pose, cross one leg in front of the other and if I was feeling particularly generous, I would give the 'turn-your-back-and-look-over-the-shoulder'. I understood that taking pictures of celebrities was their job and I did not begrudge them of that fact. However, I knew from experience that the majority of these 'photographers' would stop at nothing to get the _candid _shots the gossip magazines paid big dollars for.

They were out in force tonight, at least five-paps-deep on both sides of the carpet, thankfully held back by a red-velvet rope and the presence of some very large security guards. It was business as usual, "Bella, this way", "Bella, look here", "Bella, are you excited about the Oscar-buzz?" I was doing my best 'I love being here, having my photo taken, smiling incessantly' routine, when a unique voice broke through the crowd.

"Hmmm, thought I know all the local paps," I thought to myself, "Must be a new guy in town."

"Bella, can I get a smile please, beautiful?" The voice assaulted my senses, it sounded like velvet and honey and sex. As I turned toward the voice in question, my jaw almost dropped to the red carpet below. Only my 'smile, smile, smile, no matter what's going on' training saved me from drooling at the sight in front of me.

Six-foot of Greek-God stood in behind the rope. A jaw you could grate cheese on, covered by a couple days of scruff, perfectly straight nose, bright emerald eyes that you could lose yourself in and then I got to the hair. Bronze coloured 'I just got out of bed after having the crazy monkey sex' hair.

At first I thought that he was on the wrong side of the rope, that someone so beautiful couldn't possibly be one of _them_ .This thought was quickly thwarted when I saw the camera he was holding loosely in front of his chest. "Bellllllllaaaaaa," he sang to me in that honey-dripped voice, sexy smirk settling upon his face, "Come on, give me a good one." Before lifting his camera to his face, he winked at me. _Winked!_

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I turned around and gave him my best over the shoulder smoulder. "Nice," he mouthed back at me, this time no amount of resistance could have stopped the eye roll, but by then I had turned my head, so he didn't notice.

It was such a waste of gorgeousness. He really was the most beautiful man I had ever seen, and yet, he was paparazzi, a parasite, feeding off the celebrity of people like me. The old saying, 'don't judge a book by its cover' came to mind; he had a really nice cover, but underneath it all, he would be just like the rest, doing whatever it took to get the shot, no matter who it hurt.

As I entered the theatre I wondered how often I would see him hanging around outside my favourite restaurant or Alice's studio waiting to get his shot. "What's got you thinking so hard?" asked one of my co-stars, Jessica Stanley. "Nothing, nothing," I replied quickly, embarrassed about the turn my thoughts had taken "Let's go find some seats and champagne."

Jessica flagged down an approaching waiter and we began walking towards our seats. "You're phenomenal in this movie, Bella. You'll totally get nominated for some awards, this season," Jessica started and I knew exactly where this conversation was heading, "I wasn't anywhere near as good as you were…"

I didn't see or even think about the bronze-haired pap again until two weeks later.

When he rammed into the back of my car.


	2. Puh lease

A/N: So, Thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, subscribed & favourite this story. When I posted it, I thought no one would even find it, so I am really grateful to you all!

Also I forgot to add a disclaimer to the first chappie, so please note this one is for both…

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters…

Chapter 2: Puh-lease

It was the ungodly hour of 6am on a Thursday morning that found me driving downtown to Alice's studio. Due to the success of the film's opening weekend in the states, the production company decided to send my 'leading man' and me to the London premiere.

James Turner was a great actor and I enjoyed working with him on set, however, when we were away from the cameras it was a different story. Slimy was probably the word I would use to best describe him. He thought he was God's gift to women and let every female within a hundred foot radius know about it. He seemed pretty harmless, but his 'ick' factor was high enough for me to dread going on this trip with him.

I had been given an entire 36 hours notice to prepare for the London trip. Luckily Alice had multiple gowns sent for me to try on for the LA premier and hadn't sent them back yet, so I was able to choose one of those. This morning was my final fitting before I flew out at three this afternoon.

I was only a block away from Brandon Design Studio when I hit a red light and came to a stop. I turned to look out the passenger window at a young man walking his dog down a side street when I was suddenly launched forward and stopped again almost instantaneously by my seatbelt.

"Son of a Bitch!" I shouted at my rear view mirror, seeing a silver Volvo attached to the back of my Mercedes. I struggled out of my seatbelt and leaned over to the glove box to retrieve my information.

I threw my door open and launched out of the car, "What the hell? Are you blind? Did you get your licence from a Cracker jack box?" I seethed.

I thought I couldn't get any more furious, I was so very wrong. As the driver side door of the stupid, shiny Volvo opened and the driver emerged, a mop of bronze sex hair rose above the window. I let out a noise that I've never made before, but could only be described as raging exasperation.

"YOU!" I screamed.

"Hey, there Beautiful," he smirked at me, like he didn't have a care in the world.

"What? I don't… I can't… What?" I was sure I was vibrating with rage at this point. He just continued standing there smirking at me. Did he just run into my car on purpose?

"Oh, this is a new low, even for your kind." I spat bitterly at him.

The smirk faltered a little and a brief look of confusion crossed his features before he spoke.

"What do you mean '_my kind'_? I could almost see the air quotes in his mind as he asked the question.

"You know, parasites, blood suckers, leeches. Pick the euphemism of your choice" I was practically snarling at him by this stage.

The smirk was back in full-force, "You make me sound like some sort of vampire."

"If the shoe fits, pap…" I crossed my arms across my chest and raised an eyebrow at him, daring him to argue.

He stared at me for what felt like ten minutes, but was probably only one. In that time a myriad of emotions flitted across his face; anger, confusion, annoyance and though it was so quick I thought I must have imagined it, a brief moment of sorrow?

"Look, not all of us can lead such a privileged life, I actually have to work for my money and I work hard," the smirk was gone and now a sneer stood in its place.

Once again my fury overtook me, "You mean to tell me, that ramming into the back of my car, is what you call _hard work,_" he opened his mouth to respond, but my tirade wasn't over, "giving poor, unsuspecting celebrities bruising and whiplash, just so you can get your shot," I took a deep breath, "Wow, what a respectable way to _work hard_ and earn your money." I finished quietly, unable to comprehend how this man could justify the possible injuring of someone, in order to make a quick buck.

"You think I did this…" he gestured to the mess of our two cars, "on purpose?" It was phrased as a question, but he almost seemed reigned to the fact that I did, in fact, believe he did it on purpose.

"Of course I do. No one runs into the back of a car that has been stopped for the last several minutes." It made no sense, he couldn't talk his way out of this.

"Stupid as it may sound, I was texting and didn't think anyone else was on the road. I looked at my phone to type in a phone number and by the time I looked up again, it was too late to even hit the brakes," he sighed and run his hand through _that_ hair, "I guess we're just lucky I wasn't driving fast, or you could've been seriously injured."

I rolled my eyes at him, he actually expected me to believe that crock of shit? How stupid did he think I was? No way, it was all a bit too convenient, too much of a coincidence. A pap_ accidently _running into a celebrity? Right.

"You're not are you?" I must've looked confused, because he hurried to continue, "Hurt, I mean. You're not hurt?"

This guy could've made an excellent actor. The concern on his face actually looked genuine. In lieu of actually having to continue talking to him, I just stare at the ground and shake my head. The silence between us is just getting awkward, when he speaks.

"Well, that's good, I wouldn't want to damage that beautiful face, and I couldn't afford the pay out if you sued." Even though I am still staring at the ground, I can hear the smirk in his voice. My head snaps up and I glare at him full force. His eyes are crinkled as he tries not to laugh at his own lame joke.

"You have got to be kidding me," I mutter under my breath, louder I say, "Look, let's just get this over with. We'll exchange insurance details and be on our merry way, alright?"

He looks puzzled. I am aware that this exchange is screwing with my whole schedule, and am anxious to move along. Then a thought hits me.

"You are insured, right?" He continues staring at me, "Please tell me you have insurance."

He snaps out of his puzzlement, "Yes, I have insurance. But I am not giving you my details unless you let me explain myself." He raises an eyebrow at me, awaiting my reply.

Unsure as to why my understanding is so important to him, but wanting to get the hell out of there, I nod my assent.

He takes a deep breath, "If I did this on purpose, you know, ran into your car, injured you, etcetera, then where is my camera?" As much as I hate to admit it, there's no camera in sight. But that's not the only way to get a shot.

"I'm guessing you've either got a video recorder set up in your car, taping us right now. Or, there's an accomplice hiding in a tree somewhere, snapping away."

He pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, "Are you really so jaded that you actually believe all of these things you're saying?" he asks. I bristle.

"It's not about being jaded. It's knowledge based on experience." His eyes meet mine for a second and I am again taken aback by how bright green they are, before I quickly avert my gaze to over his right shoulder. "Traffic is going to start up soon and then it won't matter if you get my picture or not, because hundreds of people driving by will get it on their phones anyway, so can we please get this over with."

We spend the next few minutes exchanging information and when he asks for a number his insurance company can get me on, I give him my Angela's, my manger.

Luckily, both cars start and we are able to disentangle his bonnet from my boot. The bumper bars, my back, his front, are the only casualties. As I get out of the car to collect the bumper and put it in the back seat, he is already there lifting it for me.

"I'll get it," he says, I step aside and open the door.

"You're wrong about this, you know," he says gesturing between the two cars, "You won't see a picture about this anywhere, it honestly was an accident."

I just turn and get in my car. As I finish driving to Alice's I almost want to believe him. He seemed so sincere and so offended that I would believe that of him.

Of course, I should have known better than to trust a pap.


	3. Premiere

A/N: So, I was just reading through my last chapter and realised I changed tense about 2/3 of the way through… oooops sorry! I am still blown away by the amount of people subscribing to this story, but not all of you are reviewing. So, if you have a spare second, please, please review. I'd really like to know what you are all thinking about this story, positive or negative.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters…

Chapter 3: Premiere

"Where the hell have you been? I have been calling and calling, you're never late…ever!" Alice was screeching at me the minute I walked into the studio.

"Calm down, Al. I was involved in a little accident…" I was unable to continue, because the screeching had begun again.

"Accident? What accident? Are you okay? What happened?" she opened and closed her mouth a few times, most likely conjuring up more questions, when I jumped in.

"First of all, I'm fine, maybe a little whiplash, but nothing serious. Secondly, you are not going to believe this…" and with that I told her the whole story, from the premiere, where I had first laid eyes on him, to what had happened on the way to her studio, that morning.

"And he's really _that_ gorgeous?" Alice asked at the conclusion of my story.

"Oh my God, Al, it's ridiculous how good looking he is." I sighed "It really is a shame that he's a pap."

Alice stared into the distance for a moment, then suddenly jumped up from her seat and picked up her phone, "Right, well we have to call Bree… Hey, you never said why you didn't answer any of my calls…" she changed topics so fast, it took a minute for me to catch up.

"I didn't hear my phone ringing, it must've been when I was arguing with…ummm…with…whats-his-name." I was rummaging through my bag trying to find my phone when I realised I didn't even know his name. I considered retrieving the information he gave me from my bag, before quickly reminding myself that his name didn't matter. I hopefully would never have to speak with him again.

"Hmmm, my phones not here, it must have fallen out of my bag during the accident." I started for the door, to go look in the car.

"Okay, well I'll call Bree while you're looking."Alice called out from behind me, phone already at her ear.

Sure enough, when I reached under the front passenger seat, I found my phone vibrating manically with missed calls and messages. I quickly scrolled through, finding ten missed calls, with ten matching voice mails, all from Alice. Chuckling to myself I deleted them all and made my way back inside.

"I deleted all you messages, Al," I called out as I entered the studio.

"You didn't listen to them?" she asked warily. I shook my head in response. "Good… I might have been yelling at you in a few of those…" She looked at me out of the corner of her eye, a cheeky smile playing at the corner of her lips.

"So, I called Bree, she has re-organised your schedule and is on her way, now. I also called Jasper, he is going to come over and get your car and take it to the repair shop for you."

Jasper was Alice's boyfriend. They had been together for five years and going strong, it was obvious to anyone who knew them that they were made for each other. People often asked why they weren't married and Jasper would reply that a piece of paper didn't matter, they knew how much they loved each other and that was that. Alice always sided with her boyfriend, but as her best friend, I knew she longed for a big sparkly ring and a huge traditional white wedding.

"He didn't have to do that, Al." I complained.

"Yes, he did, according to Bree, you don't have time to do it yourself, today. Jazz will take all the information and get it sorted out for you." Alice called from behind the rack she was digging through. "Here it is! Quickly, try it on, so I can make any adjustments before Bree gets here and whisks you away!"

Alice emerged from the rack holding a beautiful dark red dress. It had a straight neck line, but the top of the sleeves cut in towards the neck, giving it an almost triangle-ish look. It was just below knee-length and had one large pleat dropping from the waist.

"It's stunning, Al. Why didn't I wear this to the New York premiere?" I asked, stripping out of my jeans.

"It arrived just an hour late. I was so annoyed! Anyway, now you get to wear it in London, so it's all good I suppose. Although the messenger I ripped shreds off that day may not agree…" Alice looked shameful for about 1.5 seconds and then went back to her normal perky self.

The dress fit perfectly and Alice did not need to make a single adjustment, Jasper collected all the insurance information and took my car off to be fixed, and Bree arrived just as Alice finished packing my dress.

"Let's go we are so far behind schedule, it's not even funny!" Bree hollered as soon as she walked into the studio. "Luckily I packed last night instead of sleeping, so I don't need to go back home. We can go straight to your place and then to the airport." She hadn't even taken a breath and during her speech she had managed to grasp my upper arm and start pulling me towards the door.

"Bye Ladies, have fun in London!" Alice laughed at Bree's antics and waved as I was unceremoniously pulled through the door. I returned the wave and grimaced as I was pushed into the passenger seat of Bree's little hatchback.

Fortunately there were no more mishaps for the day and we arrived at the airport right on time. The eleven hour flight was spent going over the schedule with Bree, fighting off advances from James and sleeping. With the time difference, we arrived in London at 10am, it was still 2am in LA and the small amount of sleep I got on the plane would hopefully ward off some of the jetlag.

We checked into our hotel about an hour later and had only twenty minutes before beginning a round of interviews with the English press. As we were only in London for less the twenty-four hours, James and I were being interviewed together, in a conference room of the hotel.

James was on his best behaviour in front of the journalists, but every time there was a change-over he was flirting and making lewd innuendo. He didn't even care that his personal assistant, Eric, and Bree were in the room. I lost count of the amount of times he tried to slip me his spare room key while wiggling his eyebrows in an attempt to be sexy.

After four hours of non-stop interviews and James, I was at the end of my rope, "James, stop! I am not going to sleep with you on this trip; I am not going to sleep with you EVER! So please, please stop talking to me like that!" I rarely lose my temper so much that I actually scream at people, so to say the people in the room were shocked, would be an understatement. I looked from Eric, to Bree and finally back to James. The look in his eyes was so murderous that I shrank back and was about to apologise for my outburst, when he spoke.

"Eric, let's go," his voice was barely restrained anger and Eric jumped to his feet and hurried after James, through the door.

"Ummm, wow… I've never seen you get so worked up with him before," Bree looked at me with a mixture of awe and trepidation in her eyes, "I mean, I know he's an ass, but you've put up with him for so long, I thought you were immune."

"I don't know," I sighed, "I think it was the combination of so many interviews, no food and jetlag that made my usual tolerance disappear. Do you think I should apologise to him?" I asked wearily.

"No! He needed someone to finally tell him that he's not God's own gift to women. He's so disgusting, it's about time someone yelled at him." Bree argued indignantly.

"Okay, I need food and I need to start getting ready." I nodded, emphasising my point, "Ugh, I just hope tonight isn't as awkward as I think it's going to be."

Bree shrugged and we made our way out of the conference room. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting ready. Because of the short notice for this trip, Alice couldn't come with me and I had to use a stylist I had never met. His name was Mike and he was the most hilarious and flamboyant gay man I had ever met. But he was also a brilliant stylist, almost as good as Alice (but I would never tell her that) and I left for the premiere feeling confident.

The night went well; James and I spent the night studiously avoiding each other. The photographers made my mind drift toward the bronze haired pap and I realised I still didn't know his name, before quickly berating myself for thinking about him again.

I was exhausted by the time I made it back to the hotel and practically fell in bed as soon as I was out of my dress. Deciding I should really wash my make-up off, so I didn't look like a sad panda on my early morning flight I left the comfort of bed for the bathroom. On my way back to bed, I noticed my phone blinking from the night stand. It was a message from my agent/manager Angela requesting I call her back immediately.

Realising it was only late afternoon in LA, I called her back straight away.

"Hey Ange," I replied to her greeting.

"Bella, I got a call from Alice this morning about an accident you had yesterday?" Angela asked in a concerned voice, "She said that it was a pap that ran into your car?"

"Yeah, he claims it was an accident, but I have my doubts." I answered.

"Me, too" Angela said in a wary voice.

"What is it Ange?" I asked tiredly.

"You should probably have a look at one of the celebrity gossip sites…" she trailed off suspiciously.

"Which one?"

"Any, they're all running it,"

I ended the call after realising the only access to the web I had was on my phone. Opening the TMZ page, I scrolled down.

I breathed out heavily through my nose in anger. There splashed all over the website were pictures of me arguing with the bronze-haired pap, right next to our banged up cars.

A/N: Sorry, I know there is no Edward (or Papward, as I have taken to calling him) in this chapter… but never fear he will be in the next ;-)


	4. Passenger

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Chapter 4: Passenger

I tossed and turned all night, too furious to sleep. Not only did _he _run into my car on purpose, but _he_ also lied through his teeth about the whole 'accident'.

The most disturbing part, though, was that I was well aware of the tricks of the paparazzi. I should not have been surprised by the lengths _he_ went to for the shots, and the truth was I wasn't. I hadn't realised until this moment that I had been hoping and praying that _he _would be different, that _he_ would prove me wrong.

It was bothering me immensely that I had let him get to me, get under my skin. _He_ was one of _them_. I shouldn't have to keep reminding myself of that fact.

"Arrrrrgh" I groaned into my pillow, realising that I hadn't had a wink of sleep, and my alarm was set to go off in fifteen minutes.

Realising I wasn't going to be getting any sleep, I decided to get up and shower, hoping the steam would help relax the tension I was still feeling. It didn't, by the time Bree knocked on my door at 7am, I was still fuming.

In the car on the way to the airport, I showed Bree the pictures. She was appropriately infuriated that _he _had damaged my car and could have possibly hurt me, just to get a picture. But as far as the pictures themselves went, she reminded me that this was part of my everyday life. Pictures of me doing the most mundane things were plastered over the internet and pages of magazines regularly.

"Are you upset that he went to such lengths to get the photo, or the photos themselves?" she asked with eyebrows raised.

"I don't know, Bree. During the whole argument after the accident, he practically promised that there would be no pictures." I replied.

"And you believed him?" she asked somewhat incredulously.

I ran my hand over my face, anger giving way to frustration. "I was just hoping that he was different, telling the truth, you know?"

"_You_ thought a pap was telling the truth? I thought they were your sworn enemy?"

"They were…they are. There was just something about him that seemed so sincere. Gah... I'm an idiot, don't worry, I'll get over it."

Bree looked at me, concerned for a moment before we arrived at the airport. As we were getting out of the car, I hurried to reassure her, "Honestly, Bree. I'll be fine." She nodded, and we headed to check in.

I slept almost the entire eleven hours on the plane. Partly because I hadn't slept sine the last time I was on a plane, and partly to avoid James.

We arrived back in LA at noon and I was meeting my friend Rosalie Hale for lunch at one. Rose was the most beautiful women in the world, as decided by people magazine. She was a Victoria's Secret model and sometimes actress. Trying to break into the film-world was tough when you were perceived as being a dumb-model. We met on the set of my first major movie, in which she had a cameo part. Although she could come across as somewhat abrasive, she was the most loyal friend you could ask for.

"The driver will drop you off at Alice's," Bree said as we dodged paps and got in the town car. Jasper had organised a rental car for me to drive, while mine was being repaired. I picked up the car from Alice's studio and made my way to the restaurant.

'Violets' was a new restaurant in the city and was proving to be highly popular with celebrities. I usually liked to dine somewhere more inconspicuous, but Rose enjoyed the look-at-me aspect to her fame, and she made the reservations.

The restaurant had a parking lot at the back, but no valet. I parked the rental and walked around to the front of the building to meet Rose. There were a couple of paps outside and I smiled and waved as I made my way in, hoping no more paps would arrive while we ate.

Rose was already seated and I made my way over to the table. In true Rose-style, she stood and embraced me fiercely, "I feel like I haven't seen you for so long!" she said as she released me and we sat down.

So over wine and delicious tasting plates we caught up. I told her about the pap, the accident, the photos and James. She was proud of me for telling him off. She told me about lingerie fittings, movie auditions and a new guy she was dating, Royce King. He owned a few nightclubs in the city and was a well-known guy around LA.

"It's new. I don't know how serious it will be. I'm happy to just see how it goes at this point." She said about her relationship.

"Well you know I'm happy if you're happy." I replied as we made our way toward the door.

She grinned, hugged me again and promised to catch up again soon. As we turned toward the door, I realised that the waiting paps had multiplied. There were now at least fifteen guys with cameras already snapping through the window in the door.

Rose had found a park right outside the restaurant, on the street, so we decided to walk out of the door at the same time, hoping that half of the paps would follow her and half follow me. We walked quickly out the door and turned in opposite directions towards our cars.

The plan seemed to have worked. Roughly half the paps followed Rose and snapped her picture as she was getting in her car. As Rose started her car and drove away, I realised that the plan had not worked at all. I was still a good distance from my car when the other half of the paps made a dash for me.

I was suddenly surrounded by fifteen big guys with cameras in my face. The flashes were blinding and each time I tried to step around someone, another pap would be right in front of me, again. I tried to walk faster, but as I stepped forward, one of the paps stepped toward me. My foot landed awkwardly on his and I felt my ankle roll painfully before I hit the pavement.

"Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry," I thought to myself as I sat on the ground, paps surrounding me, cameras still clicking away.

There was the sound of a scuffle above me and then two strong arms reached around my waist. I was hoisted out of the pit of paps. I didn't know who was saving me, but I felt uncannily safe in his arms.

As he tried to place me on my feet, my left ankle gave way and I was falling again. Before I hit the pavement he scooped me up, bridal style and started walking.

I refused to open my eyes, my humiliation at falling down overwhelming my need to see my saviour.

That humiliation grew ten-fold when an all-too-familiar voice whispered in my ear, "Which is your car?"

I slowly opened one eye and there _he_ was, looking down at me with concern. I pointed to the rental car dug the keys out of my purse. He walked me around to the passenger side.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You need to go to the emergency room and you can't drive." _He _answered succinctly.

While I knew he was probably right, I didn't really want to face more paps at the hospital.

"No, I'm not going to the hospital. It's just a sprain, at worst. I'll put some ice on it when I get home."

"Either way, you can't drive right now." He reasoned.

"I'll call my friend Alice to come get me." I decided, fishing around in my purse for my phone.

"Okay, I'll just leave you hear with those guys while you wait for your friend…" The sarcastic tone in his voice didn't escape me and I went from humiliation to irritation in 0.1 seconds.

"Well, what would you suggest, then?" I bit out at _him._

He quirked an eyebrow and held his hand out to me. It took me a moment to realise he was asking for my keys. "_You_ want to drive me? I don't think so!"

He just looked over at the other paps, shrugged one shoulder and began to walk away. I quickly realised that the minute he was gone the paps would descend again and I could felt the throb in my ankle getting worse. I really couldn't drive.

"Wait!" I called as comprehension that I needed his help set in.

He turned and looked at me, but didn't make any move toward me.

"Ummmm, could you…I mean, would you…" I huffed in annoyance at myself, "I could use your help…please."

He smiled at me, a real genuine, beautiful smile, "Was that so hard?" he asked. I rolled my eyes at him and handed him my keys.

He helped me to get in the car without hurting my ankle and walked around to the driver's side. As he put the key in the ignition, I remembered something that had been bothering me.

"Wait," I called out softly

He turned to look at me and I was quickly distracted by his emerald eyes.

"Yes?" He prompted, after I stared for a beat too long.

"Oh, ah…I don't even know your name…"

"It's Edward" he replied "Edward Cullen."


	5. Pictures

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Chapter 5: Pictures

_He turned to look at me and I was quickly distracted by his emerald eyes._

"_Yes?" He prompted, after I stared for a beat too long._

"_Oh, ah…I don't even know your name…"_

"_It's Edward" he replied "Edward Cullen."_

He started the car and pulled sharply out of the space, narrowly missing a few of the paps on the way. I gave him directions to Alice's studio, hoping she was still there and not wanting to give him my address.

The silence in the car was starting to get uncomfortable, so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Why did you help me?"

He glanced over at me from the driver's seat and shrugged one shoulder, replying nonchalantly, "Because you were hurt."

"But the other paps were still taking my picture, why weren't you?" I didn't understand why he had come to my aid, when he could've been making money off of my humiliation.

He sighed rather dramatically and told his side of the story, "I had just received the tip-off that Rosalie Hale and Bella Swan were having lunch at Violets. By the time I arrived, Rosalie was gone and the photographers were following you. Just as I was about to grab my camera from the passenger seat, I saw you fall."

I interrupted, still not getting the answers I was after. "But why didn't you get your camera and take the pictures?"

"Impatient little thing, aren't you?" he asked with one eyebrow raised. "If you'd let me finish…" he trailed off, looking at me expectantly.

"Sure, sure. Go ahead" I replied making a 'go on' motion with my hands.

"So, I saw you fall and I realised that you must have been hurt, because you didn't get up. It was obvious the other guys weren't going to help you, so I did."

I thought this over for a while. A pap with a kind heart? I wasn't sure that even existed. As we pulled up into Alice's parking lot, I remembered the pictures. My anger at him suddenly came back with a vengeance.

"While I am grateful you helped me, I am still pissed as hell at you," I started, but he interrupted me, whispering "Of course" under his breath.

I glared at him before I continued.

"You promised me that the accident was just an _accident_, that I wouldn't see any pictures. But wait, what happened? Oh that's right, there _were_ pictures. Lots of them. Everywhere!" My breath was coming out in little pants due to my anger.

"I know you're not going to believe this," he began as I rolled my eyes, "But, I honestly didn't have anything to do with those pictures."

"Oh, _honestly_? Well, he said honestly, he must be telling the truth." So I should probably mention at this point that when I get mad, sarcasm pours out of me, like water through a tap.

"You are so cynical! Why is it that because I am a photographer, that everything I say must be a lie?" He blasted out at me.

"First of all, you are not a photographer, you are a parasite. Second of all, there are no honourable paps. They get their photo no matter who it hurts." While I started off mad and biting, I finished that last sentence off very quietly.

"First of all," he mimicked me, "I _am _a photographer. I am a damn good photographer, so I certainly didn't have anything to do with the pictures for the accident. I don't do grainy, from a distance, pieces of crap!" It was his turn to pant heavily this time and I was struck dumb by the beauty of this angry man.

The silence in the car was heavy with tension as we each looked out of the window at our side.

"You've said that to me a few times now." he stopped, contemplating for a moment and at my puzzled look, explained, "no matter who it hurts."

'Shit,' I thought. He was hitting far too close to home with this train of thought, so I bought the subject back to where it started.

"Well, if the accident pictures weren't your doing, who took them? It was 6 am, for God's sake!" I stared hopefully at him, praying he would just go with this turn in the conversation. Thankfully, he did.

"I'm trying to find out, actually. As soon as I saw those shots, I knew you would assume it was me. I will clear my name from those pictures." He said.

He confused me to no end. I couldn't understand why he cared so much about what I thought of him. I decided to ask.

"Why?" I asked him quietly.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, as though trying to find the right words, "I want to show you that there are some paps that are honourable. Or at least one." He smirked at me and I found myself believing him, _again._

I growled at myself internally and said, "Well, you've certainly got your work cut out for you trying to convince me of that!" I said it half-jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

It seemed to work, with Edward replying, "I look forward to changing your mind." Lop-sided grin firmly in place.

We smiled at each other for a moment before he said, "I'll help you get inside then."

He came around to my side and helped me get out of the car. I leaned heavily against his side as we made our way to the door.

"Al," I called out as we entered.

"Bell?" came the reply from the back room, before a spiky, black head of hair popped out from around the corner.

Once she saw me being propped up by Edward she ran forward and fluttered around me. "Oh my God, what happened? Are you okay? I thought you outgrew the clumsiness!"

At the clumsiness remark, Edward raised an eyebrow and chuckled a little.

"Shut-up Alice!" I growled tilting my head slightly toward Edward.

Alice looked at Edward like it was the first time she had even noticed he was there. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she stared at him. I knew how she felt!

She stared for a beat too long when I cleared my throat dramatically to get her attention.

"Oh, um…what?" Alice blinked a few times, fanned her face and got her composure before she started again.

"Who's your friend, Bella?" she asked somewhat suggestively.

I rolled my eyes before I answered, "This is Edward, and he is not my _friend"_ I replied pointedly.

"Awwww, now you've hurt my feelings," Edward said, mock-sadness dripping from each word.

Alice looked back and forth between the two of us a few times and then remembered my predicament, "So what happened?" she asked again.

She listened carefully as I told her how I hurt my ankle and when I got to the part about Edward helping me, her eyes widened in recognition. _'Finally'_ I thought as I saw realisation dawn on her face, this was my bronze-haired pap.

"Oh, so Edward is the one who rammed you from behind?" Alice asked, innocently.

I blushed up to my roots at the innuendo and felt Edward shift uncomfortably behind me. Alice failed to notice how uncomfortable we were and continued.

"Well you were certainly right about him!" she said as her eyes raked for his shoes to his hair and back down again. Subtlety was not her strong suit.

"Shut-up Alice!" I said for the second time that day, as she laughed at my embarrassment.

I risked a glance at Edward out of the corner of my eye; he was staring at me with both eyebrows raised and smug grin on his face.

"You shut-up, too" I groused at him.

"Okay, well I am going to leave Miss Swan here in your capable hands, and get a cab back to my car." Edward said after he finished chuckling at my outburst.

Alice came and helped me to the sofa before walking Edward to the door. Just before he got there, he turned and said to me, "I am going to prove you wrong, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, knock yourself out." I replied flatly from the sofa.

He grinned at me and left swiftly through the front door.

Alice pounced on the sofa next to me and stared at me until I paid her the attention she craved.

"Yes, Alice?" I asked.

"Tell. Me. Everything!"

A/N: Thanks again to everyone adding this story to their faves, or putting it on alert! Special shout out to ADADancer for reviewing every chapter so far & Cullengirl08 for reviewing 3 out of 4, Thanks!

Okay, so I have a question: How do you guys feel about Lemons? I haven't decided whether to include them or not. Please let me know if you want some citrus in this story or not and why, so I can make a decision based on my loyal readers' preferences, Thanx!


	6. Proof

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Chapter 6: Proof

Alice took me to her house for the night and I spent the afternoon sprawled out on her couch with an ice pack wrapped around my ankle.

"Come on, Bell. You tell me you hate this guy, and then show up all over him at the studio… What's going on?" Alice asked.

"I don't know, Al. He's a pap. You know how much I hate paps! Not to mention, he ran into my car and had someone take pictures of it…" I paused, trying to collect my thoughts.

"But…" Alice prompted.

"But…" I continued, "He just seems so genuine and he really did save me today. None of those other guys even asked if I was okay and he just swooped in and grabbed me up. He missed out on getting his shot, just to help me."

"Well, as you know, I am an excellent judge of character… and I think he seems nice." Alice looked past me, no doubt remembering her encounter with Edward this afternoon.

"You think his body seemed nice…"I accused.

"I'm only human, Bella. That boy is fine!" She gushed.

"I know, I know…Believe me I know!" I exclaimed as Alice raised a brow at me. "But, he is a pap, he ran into my car to get shots. I could've been seriously hurt!"

Alice thought about this for a moment before she spoke, "Bella… I see how that accident would've brought up some painful memories for you, but it's not the same thing."

I tried unsuccessfully to blink back the tears that had formed in the corners of my eyes. As Alice passed me a tissue, she continued, "You can't blame every pap in existence for an awful thing that happened a long time ago."

I nodded at her. I knew she was right, but I had never found a redeeming quality in a pap to make me believe otherwise. Until Edward, that is.

"So, what was he referring to when he said he was going to prove you wrong?" She asked in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood.

"He says he didn't have anything to do with the pictures of the accident. He's working on finding out who did, apparently."

"And you don't believe him?" she asked.

"Honestly? I really want to. But at the same time I don't want to get my hopes up." I replied.

"Well, let's wait and see, huh?" she asked. I only nodded.

Jasper brought home take out for dinner and we ate, drank and watched reruns of The Big Bang Theory until the wee hours of the morning.

I woke up on Alice and jasper's couch, not having remembered falling asleep. I was stiff from sleeping in an odd position and had a slight headache from the previous nights wine. The good news was that as I got up to use the bathroom, I noticed my ankle felt much better and I only had a very slight limp.

"Good morning!" Shouted Alice as I emerged for the bathroom.

"Shhhhhhh!" I scolded, as she laughed and poured me some coffee.

"Jazzy's in the shower, he said he'd take you to get the rental from Violets and then you can pick up your car from the repair shop." She said as I sipped my coffee.

"It's ready?" I asked excitedly, I couldn't wait to get my car back.

"Yep, so go get in the guest shower and I will find you something to wear."

I gulped down the rest of my coffee, slightly burning my tongue in the process and took off toward the shower.

After the late start, we didn't get to the repair shop until close to 2pm, already having returned the rental. We took care of all the paperwork and the mechanic gave me a copy of Edward's insurance papers. I took them, thanked Jasper for all his help and left for home.

I parked in the garage and grabbed Edward's papers. As I was getting out of the car, one of the papers fell loose and fluttered to the ground. I bent to pick it up and realised it was not a typed insurance paper, but rather a hand written note.

Curious, I put everything else on the roof of my car and read the note.

_Bella,_

_I finally tracked the origin of the accident pictures._

_Apparently the guy who took them was walking his dog when he heard the crash._

_He noticed you immediately and started taking pictures with his phone._

_The guy at TMZ who published them is Tyler. He said you could call him and he would verify it for you._

_Edward._

As I read the note again, I suddenly remembered seeing a guy walking his dog while I waited at the traffic lights that morning.

'Shit' I thought, he proved me wrong.

My immediate feeling was guilt. Alice was right; I couldn't incriminate every pap I ever met, on the actions of one, so long ago.

I picked up the rest of the papers from the car and made my way inside. I couldn't believe I was actually considering apologising to a pap, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

But how did I get in contact with him? I couldn't just wait until the next red carpet event and shout out over the rope!

It wasn't until I was in my study filing away the insurance papers that I realised I had his contact number in my hand. Duh, Bella!

I quickly grabbed up my phone, before I could talk myself out of it and dialled his number.

He picked up after only three rings.

"Hello"

"Um, Hi Edward. It's Bella, Bella Swan."

"Well hello, Bella, Bella Swan. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I ah, I got my car back this morning."

"Mmm Hmmm" He was going to drag it out of me.

"And… I got your note" I rushed out.

"Okay"

"And well…I…um…well…thanks…for doing that, finding out about the dog walker, I mean. I actually remember seeing him before you ran into me." I was rambling, I knew and I could hear him chuckling on the other end of the phone.

"I told you I was going to prove you wrong, didn't I?"

"You did… and I wanted to apologise for accusing you of doing that."

"What? Running into your car for some grainy pictures?"

"Yeah. But in my defence I know paps that would do that. I am sorry Edward, you seem to have proven that you are not the typical pap."

"Wow… It took a lot for you to say that, huh?"

"Yes"

"Okay, then. Thank you for apologising, I appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

It was silent for a few seconds, but before it could get too awkward, he said:

"So I guess I'll see you around then?"

"Yeah, it's your job to see me around, isn't it?"

'It is" he chuckled.

"Okay, well bye Edward."

"Good bye Bella."

And with that he hung up. I felt disappointed that the conversation was over for reasons I didn't want to explore.

The phone rang while it was still in my hand and I had a mad thought that maybe he was calling me back. I answered it quickly.

"Hello"

"Congratulations!"

It was Angela, but I couldn't work out why she would be congratulating me.

"Ummmm, what for?"

"Bella! You just got nominated for an Oscar!"

"What? That was today? I totally forgot!"

"Bella, where has your head been lately?"

"I don't know Ange. When I figure it out I'll let you know,"

She insisted we get off the phone so other people could call through their well-wishes.

She was right as usual and I spent the next couple of hours taking calls from Bree, Alice, Rose and various co-stars.

As I was getting ready for bed that night Maria, my housekeeper, brought up a package that had just been couriered over.

"Who's it from?" I asked.

"It doesn't say" she replied as she handed over the long box.

It was the kind of box long stemmed roses were often delivered in, so I assumed someone had sent flowers as congratulations on the nomination.

I opened the box and dropped it on the floor almost simultaneously.

It wasn't the roses I was expected, but instead, just thorny roses stems with the heads ripped off. Unfortunately that wasn't the creepiest part of the 'present'. The stems weren't tied with ribbon, but with rope, fastened into a tiny noose.

A/N: Dun dun duuuuuunnnnn!

So, thanks to all the new readers, there was a lot last chapter! Thanks also to those who answered my question about lemons. The response seemed to be yes, so they will be written (gulp) later in the story.

I finished the entire outline for the story this week, too. So this week reviewers will get a chapter 7 teaser!


	7. Problems

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Chapter 7: Problems

"A noose?" asked Angela, concern colouring her features.

"Yeah, it was so creepy." I replied, an involuntary shudder rolling through my body.

I was in Angela's office, officially, to discuss my next film which started filming next week. Unofficially we usually spent most of the 'meeting' catching up and gossiping like teenage girls. This week though, our discussion had become quite heavy, when I mentioned the delivery I had received two nights before.

"What did you do with it?" Angela asked.

"I threw it out. Garbage day was yesterday, so it's long gone by now." I replied, relieved.

"Maybe you should have kept it as evidence or something?" She reasoned.

"No point, I'm not planning on calling the Police, or anything. It was probably some crazy fan's idea of a joke." I had thought this over practically non-stop for the past two days.

"Well, I think you should call the Police, just in case. It could be the start of a stalker."

This thought had occurred to me, also. But I wasn't ready to admit that I could possibly have a stalker. But Angela had a point; I probably should have kept the 'evidence' in case it was the first of many. Another shudder ran through me at the thought.

"Alright, Ange, I see what you're saying…even though I really don't want to." I added the last part under my breath.

"Good, I'm calling the Police right now. At least then you can say you tried." She replied matter-of-factly, picking up her phone and asking her assistant to call the local precinct.

Angela put the phone on loud speaker so I could hear the officer say exactly what I knew they would.

"I'm very sorry Miss Webber, but there is nothing we can do at this point. Miss Swan destroyed the evidence and even if she hadn't, it was a one off incident. For all we know it could be some kid playing a prank."

Angela gave me a sympathetic look from across the table as she thanked the Officer and bid him a good day.

"It's okay, Ange I knew that's what they would say." I reassured her.

She looked contemplatively over my right shoulder and I knew she was planning something.

After a few minutes she spoke up, "You know, a body guard might be a good idea." She said it casually, likely knowing I would protest, which I did.

"Ange, you know I value privacy above all else. Having a body guard following me everywhere I go seems a bit over the top."

"Well, I know a great guy who would be perfect for you!" She continued trying to convince me.

"I don't know, Ange. I don't think I want such an intrusion in my life right now."

"Come on, give him a shot. His name is Emmett McCarty and he only just became available! You'll love him, I promise."

"I'll keep it in mind, but for now, the answer is no, Ange." I made sure to use my best no-nonsense tone so she knew I meant it.

"Okay, well let's talk about next week."

"The script is great, I am really excited about this one!" I gushed about the film that I was to start working on next week. It was a psychological thriller about a girl who was in a mental institution.

"Are you ready for it? The character, I mean? After what's happened?" It wasn't like Angela to sound so nervous, so it took me a minute to catch on.

Then I realised. The girl in the movie believes she is being stalked by one of the hospital employees.

"Oh… yeah, I'll be fine. It's just a character." I hoped I had pulled off nonchalance, but the look on Angela's face belittled my confidence.

Fortunately, she had enough confidence in my on-screen acting ability to let it slide.

"Well, if you're sure?" I nodded. "Good then, filming starts on Monday morning. You are expected to be on set at seven for hair and makeup." She was reading from an email sent by the production manager. "Oh, and you have a wardrobe fitting tomorrow afternoon. Did you know about that?"

"Mmmhmm, the wardrobe girl called yesterday." I replied, "Victoria, I think, she seemed nice. It's her first big-budget gig."

"Her first? Well let's hope she knows what she's doing. I've got you pegged for back-to-back Oscars!" She winked. Angela was always looking out for me and my career, first.

"Settle down, Ange. I haven't even won the first one yet." We both laughed.

"So, fill me in on the accident photos story." Ange asked, curious.

I had mentioned at the start of the meeting that the matter with Edward was settled, but then accidently-on-purpose changed the subject in the hope she wouldn't bring it up again. In between thinking about the gruesome package, I spent all my time thinking about Edward. I hadn't come to any conclusions about how I felt about him. Well, the truth was, I didn't want to admit how I was feeling about him.

So I gave Angela a brief run-down of what had happened, including the twisted ankle, which she had seen in a tabloid, already. But leaving out the part where I called him to apologise.

"Wow, so he went to all that trouble just to prove he didn't set the whole accident up?" She asked at the end of my story, incredulous. "Doesn't sound like your run the mill pap."

"No, he doesn't seem to be." I avoided eye-contact with her, hoping she wouldn't read anything in my expression.

"Hmmm, how do you feel about that?" she probed.

"Well, Dr Phil," I started hoping to lighten the mood. She just kept on staring at me, either not getting or not appreciating my joke. "Honestly? I felt a little guilty for lumping him in the rest of the parasites, when clearly he isn't so bad."

Angela raised her eyebrows so high I thought they were going to disappear right into her hairline. "What? Bella Swan felt guilty over insulting a pap? Alright girl spill. What's going on here?"

I immediately blushed, knowing I had showed my hand. "Well, I kind of called him to apologise," I rushed out and continued before Angela could interrupt. "And he's been so nice to me and gone to so much trouble to prove me wrong and he didn't even gloat when I said sorry." I took a breath, having forgotten to during my spiel.

Angela also took a deep breath, but I could tell it was to take in everything I had said before she responded. "You called him?" she asked, simply.

"Yes." I replied, a little confused at her question.

"So, he has your number now?" She asked again, no insinuation evident.

"No, I have a private number."

"Hmmm… when did you call him?"

I was starting to get a little annoyed at the line of questioning, but held my temper and answered. "Sunday afternoon."

"The same day as you got the package?"

"Ange, where are you going with this?" I bit out.

"I am just trying to make you see something. It's not that difficult to get a private phone number off your call list, if you know the right people and you called him the same day of the delivery. Before or after?"

"Before or after what?" My temper was fighting to get out.

"Did you call him before or after the delivery?"

"Before."

"How long before?"

"A few hours, I guess."

"Plenty of time to get an address and send the package." She said succinctly and my anger blazed. I couldn't even begin to consider that Edward was the possible stalker. Not because of any evidence, but because I couldn't possibly be stupid enough to like a guy that could be a stalker.

'Damn it' I thought, realising I just admitted to myself that I liked him for the first time.

Angela could see I was about to lose it, so she finished with. "You don't know too much about this guy, is all I'm saying. Be careful."

She was so sincere it made my temper melt a little. I was about to reassure her when the intercom buzzed.

"I have a delivery for Bella," chirped Angela's assistant, Kate.

Angela and I exchanged a wary look, before Ange asked Kate to bring it in.

Kate looked baffled as she left the office, having been thoroughly quizzed about where the package came from, who delivered it and anything else she might know of its origin. All she knew was that it had been sent up form ground floor reception and was delivered by a regular Fed Ex guy.

Ange opened the package while I looked over her shoulder.

In the box was a barely recognisable, red carpet photo of me from the London premiere of my latest film. The eyes had been poked out and the word 'bitch' had been written all over it in red texta, again and again.

I felt tears well in my eyes at the thought of actually being a target of a stalker. But before I could succumb to self-pity I decided to take action.

"Ange, get Emmett McCarty on the phone."

A/N: Any Theories?

Thanks to those who reviewed. I hope your teasers found you well!

Teasers will be sent to reviewers again this week, so go on hit the little button & leave a thought a two!


	8. Protector

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Chapter 8: Protector

Emmett McCarty was the biggest man I had ever seen. In fact when he first walked into Angela's office, I was more than a little intimidated. But when he introduced himself with a huge grin, punctuated by equally huge dimples I couldn't help but like him immediately.

I explained to him what had been going on as he studiously took notes in a little notebook. When I told him I was starting work on a new film set the following week, he suggested that he take me to and from work and hang around the set each day.

"Is that a bit overkill? I mean, he hasn't ever harassed me in person and so far it's all been fairly harmless…"

Emmett interrupted, "Or she."

"Pardon?" I asked, completely confused as to what he was getting at.

"Making assumptions of a stalker's gender is always a mistake. You might be wary of any new males around you, but become friendly with females. What if your stalker is a woman?" Emmett stated seriously.

"I guess I did just assume. Surely there aren't many female stalkers though, are there?" I asked hoping I didn't sound sexist.

"Not as many, no. But the percentage of female stalkers is not zero, so we have to consider it."

It was odd to see him taking this all so seriously. Despite his size, he seemed the type to be more comfortable having a beer and a laugh, rather than interviewing me about my stalker.

As if to prove my point, Emmett finished taking his notes and looked up with another huge grin. "So, how about I start tomorrow morning? I'll be able to check out your house, security system, car and stuff?"

"Why my car?"

"Stalkers frequently put some sort of tracking device on their targets car, so they can know where you are at all times." I was seriously starting to get freaked out by all this stalker talk, luckily Angela noticed and stepped in.

"Okay, so Emmett will be at your house tomorrow at?" she broke off and looked to Emmett.

"Eight am." He replied.

"Good, eight am. He'll check out all your stuff and take you to your wardrobe fitting at four pm. Okay?"

"Okay." Emmett and I said in unison, though I said it more morosely.

"Don't worry, B. I'm real fun to work with, I promise!" Emmett said as he was leaving.

After a quick goodbye to Angela, I also left, exhausted from the day's events.

When I arrived home Maria was just finishing my dinner. I suddenly realised how ravenous I was, having not eaten much during the long day in Angela's office. After wolfing down my food, exhaustion returned, so I chose to have an early night.

Despite the exhaustion, sleep only came in short bursts and I woke every hour or so during the night. Wide awake again at 5:30, I decided to just get up and go for a run to try and clear my head.

After changing into yoga pants and a tank top, and pulling my pony tail through a Lakers cap, I drove down to a secluded part of the beach. Putting on my oversize sunnies I got out and did a few stretches in the otherwise empty parking lot.

Running along the beach was my favourite form of exercise. Unfortunately, in order to actually be able to run, and not be stopped for pictures and autographs every few steps meant that I had to get up at this time in order to do it. I was usually too into my sleep to even consider it, sleep won out over exercise any day of the week.

I ran half-an-hour up the shore and then turned back, knowing the beach would start filling up after seven. I had only seen one other person doing some sort of Tai-Chi about 15 minutes into my run, but on the way back they were gone.

Approaching the car park I could hear the sound of a few male voices. I was a little apprehensive as I came over the final dune, to get to my car, mind drifting back to my stalker.

There were five of them, milling about my car, chatting amongst themselves. I was about to turn around and hide up the beach to call Emmett, when one of the men turned and caught sight of me.

"There she is!" he called and all the men turned and ran toward me.

It was at this point that I noticed the cameras they were lifting to their faces.

'Paps!' I thought angrily. 'How the hell did they know I was here?' Emmett's speech about a tracking device on my car came to mind as I heard a familiar voice break through the wall of shouting.

"Miss Swan, we have to stop bumping into each other like this!" Edward said with a chuckle.

I honestly did try not to notice, but he was simply gorgeous. Looking like he had just rolled out of bed to come see me (sort of), he was wearing faded jeans, snug in all the right places and a plain black t-shirt, fitted enough for me to see the definitions of each muscle.

Realising I was staring (and quite possible drooling) I blushed and looked up quickly, only to find he was checking me out just as blatantly.

His eyes snapped up to mine as he finished his perusal and he lifted his eyebrows and mouthed the word 'nice'. I could feel the blush burning from my chest right up to my hairline.

'Hmmm, it seems we've graduated to flirting.' I thought smugly to myself as I made my way through the throng.

I took my sunglasses off and looked at him from under my lashes, "Good morning, Edward. How are you today?"

He visibly gulped before he answered, "Well, so far the day is going _very_ well." He said and then added, "Give me a good one?"

I only considered it for a split second before I gave his camera my full attention and gave him a few good shots as I continued on to my car.

"Thanks, Bella." He said sincerely as I got in the car.

"You're welcome." I replied before closing the door and driving away.

Paranoia set back in on the drive home and I found myself checking my rear view mirror, every few seconds.

As I pulled into my driveway, after entering my gate code, I notice a huge black SUV in parked in front of my house. I slowed my car considerably and crept along the drive until I could see Emmett leaning against the front of the car.

Breathing a sigh of relief I parked the car and got out.

"Hey Emmett." I called out in greeting.

When he removed his sunglasses, however, it wasn't the jovial Emmett I saw, but the serious Emmett from yesterday's meeting.

"Where the hell have you been?" he said in a low tone that had me backing away from him ever so slightly.

"I couldn't sleep last night, so I went for a run on the beach to clear my head a bit." I responded calmly, before adding, "What are you doing here, anyway, it's only seven-thirty?"

"First of all, I came early to check your security, I didn't want you to know it was me trying to break into your house. Which was entirely too easy, by the way. Secondly, you shouldn't be going anywhere so public without at least telling me. I need to know where you are at all times, so I can decided whether I should trail you or not." I could tell he was mad at me by the way his nostrils flared with each breath.

"Emmett, seriously, it was just a run on the beach. The worst thing that happened was there were a few pap's hanging around when I was leaving." I reasoned.

"Pap's?" Emmett asked, confusion colouring his serious-face.

"Paparazzi, they took some shots, I left, no big deal."

"How did they know you were there?" he asked, obviously suspicious.

"I don't know, they get tips off's from all sorts of sources. There was a girl on the beach, it could have been her, I suppose." I explained.

"Hmmm, seems a bit suspicious that there just happened to be a girl on the beach who recognised you and called the paps… at six am." He added.

I didn't know what to say, so I just looked at the ground, after a minute Emmett spoke again.

"I definitely need to check your car for a tracker," he started, and then continued, "Did you recognise any of these paps?"

I felt a sudden urge to protect Edward form Emmett's scrutiny, but at the same I knew I shouldn't lie to the person who was paid to protect me.

"Well, I mostly see the same thirty or so guys on rotation. Today there were only five but I had seen all of them before." I hedged, hoping he wouldn't press for more details. My hope was in vein.

"Was Edward there?" Emmett asked.

My head snapped up to find him staring at me, half amused, half serious-face.

"How did you know about him?" I asked.

"Angela called me last night, concerned that you had left him out of your story completely when telling me what's been going on."

"I left him out because he has nothing to do with this."

"How can you be sure?"

"I just am, the stalker is not Edward."

"Regardless, I need to know every time you see him or have any contact with him from now on."

"Whatever." I replied a little petulantly.

With that, smiley, dimpled Emmett was back. "Excellent," he began, "Now about this security…"

As it turned out my security system left a bit to be desired. Emmett called a security firm he has dealt with before and got them to come out to the house that day. He also checked the house and the car for any tracking or listening devices.

To my complete horror, he found a GPS tracker attached to the underside of my car.

"How long has that been there?" I asked.

"Well, the accident would have damaged or even dislodged it, but this is in perfect condition, so sometime after that." Emmett explained.

"Shit, Em. Now I'm really starting to get scared." I said as my phone rang.

I jumped half a mile, and then laughed at myself for being scared so easily.

"Hello," I said, picking it up.

"Hello Gorgeous," said a male voice I didn't recognise.

"Um, who is this?" I asked warily. Emmett's head snapped up from what he was doing and began making his way over to me.

"It's just a friend who wanted to tell you how good you looked running this morning." The voice continued. "I would love to see you running like that from me, sometime."

Tears started running down my face as I listened to the voice on the phone. Emmett snatched the phone away from me, but not before the heard the voice say, "Sometime soon."

Emmett put the phone up to his ear, but the line had gone dead.

He turned to me and wrapt me in a comfortingly tight bear hug.

Once I had settled down a bit, Emmett asked in a wary tone, "Angela told me you called Edward over the weekend."

I just nodded, not ready to speak just yet.

"So he has your private phone number?"

A/N: Another cliffie, I know. I love to read a story with Cliff hangers, so I am hoping you do too.

Thanks to all the new readers/subscribers/etc.

Thankyou especially to the faithful reviewers! I love reading every one of them.

So…any new theories? Anyone think it actually is Edward?

I might be inclined to give hints to those who review…


	9. Places

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

A/N: What's this? An early update? Well, I was so impressed with the response from the last chapter (I broke my review record!)I decided to post early. I am still planning on posting at the end of the week, but if we can get more than 7 reviews for this chapter I might post that one earlier, too!

Chapter 9: Places

The following Monday I started work on my new film. Emmett picked me up at five thirty and drove me to the set. Luckily this film was being shot in LA, so I could drove from my own home each morning and not have to stay in a hotel.

Emmett and I had an argument after he accused Edward of being the stalker. I just couldn't bring myself to believe it was him, even after all the evidence that Emmett pointed out. Edward showed up as a pap just before I started getting stalked, he 'accidently' ran into my car, he happened to show up when I was hurt by the other paps, he has my phone number and he saw me running on the beach.

Emmett believed I was refusing to see the truth because I had a crush on Edward.

"That's ridiculous, Em. He's a pap, I do not have a crush on a pap!" I yelled at him, to which he simply raised his eyebrows, letting me know he did not believe me. I stormed upstairs to my room in a huff.

Things were still a little tense between us in the car that morning.

"I'm sorry for saying you had a crush on Edward, B. It's just strange that you won't even consider him a suspect, considering the evidence." He started.

"Its okay, Em," I replied, "I was just upset because of the phone call." I smiled at him to show my sincerity.

"So, listen… I will be around set all day, but I'll try to hang back and let you do your thing. How does that sound?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I have a trailer you can hang out in if you get bored."

He grinned at me and we drove the rest of the way in relative silence.

As we drove toward the gates of the film set, we could see what seemed like millions of flashes going off.

"Awesome…paps" I quipped sarcastically.

"Any other entrances?" Emmett asked.

"Not that I know of, but I'll ask around today, if you like?"

"Yeah, good idea."

The closer we got to the paps camped out the front of the gate, the more butterflies I felt in my stomach. I tried to convince myself that it was just first day nerves, but when I saw a flash of bronze hair above the crowd and the butterflies became bats, I knew I was lying to myself.

I tried to compose myself because I didn't want Emmett to work out why I was suddenly so flustered. I realise I had failed in my composure when Emmett said:

"So, which one's your boy?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Em…" I tried

"Shut up and point him out, would you?" He demanded playfully.

"Fine," I huffed, "The taller one with the bronze-coloured hair."

"Bronze? Seriously is that even a hair colour? And you're telling me you don't like him…pfff." He scoffed.

I just crossed my arms across my chest and resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him.

Emmett had to roll down the window at the security booth to ID us. While we were waiting, Edward managed to push his way to the front of the crowd and grinned at me through the window.

"Good morning, Miss Swan. How are you?" He asked as Emmett scowled at him.

"She's fine, now back off." Emmett said before I could respond.

The security gate opened and Emmett started driving as I waved and yelled out, "Have a good day Edward!"

This time Emmett scowled at me and reminded me again to be careful of him. I just turned my head to look out of my window as I rolled my eyes.

I found myself in the wardrobe department daydreaming about being able to see Edward everyday while I worked on this film, even if it was only for a few seconds.

"What's got you smiling like that?" Victoria, the costume designer, asked.

Victoria seemed like a really nice girl. This was her first big budget movie and while somewhat nervous, she knew what she was doing. Having postponed my final fitting, due to the phone call last week, she only had three days to finish my wardrobe. But here I was on the first day and everything fit perfectly and looked great.

"Huh?" I asked, snapping myself out of it, "Oh, nothing, just daydreaming, I guess."

"About a guy, I bet." She smirked at me.

"Maybe…" I replied vaguely, not knowing her well enough to divulge any details.

She just giggled a high pitched giggle and finished my clothes, sending me off to the makeup trailer.

Bree was waiting inside for me with coffee and a pastry. I asked her to check on Emmett for me and she replied that she had just taken him his breakfast in my trailer. Apparently that caused him to ask her to quit working for me and become his personal assistant. She assured me she said no.

A few hours later and we were still working on our first scene. The director had shown us our places, walked us through the scene and had a practice run-through.

The director yelled, "Places!" and I began walking to my spot. When I was almost there, someone noticed that my co-star had makeup on his shirt, so I turned to go sit back down.

I was about five steps away from my place when I heard a crash.

As I turned to see what had happened I noticed one of the camera men had a light fall on him. Right on the place where I should have been standing.

People started crowding around him and someone shouted, "Call an ambulance!"

Emmett was suddenly by my side and steering me off set, toward my trailer.

"Th…that should've been m…me!" I stuttered out as we went through the trailer door.

Emmett told me to sit down and he brought me some water, "We don't know that…" he trailed off, clearly not convinced.

"Emmett, that was my exact place. I was supposed to be standing there!" I shouted at him.

"I know, B. I was on the set, I saw the whole thing."

"Is he okay? The guy that got hit?" I asked.

"I don't know. Will you be okay, here, while I go check?" he asked in return.

I just nodded and motioned for him to go ahead. As he was about to go out the door, Bree rushed in.

"Oh my God…Are you okay?" Bree asked as she rushed over to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you know anything about the guy that got hit?" I questioned her.

"He's okay. Just a small gash to the head, but they're taking him to the hospital to make sure he's not concussed. Filming has been postponed, a while the get an extra camera man and re-set the lights." She explained.

I just nodded at her and we were quiet for a minute, before she added, "Do we think it was him? Your stalker?"

Emmett answered for me, "We don't know for sure, but I'm going to call the Police anyway."

Just as we suspected, the police couldn't do anything to help. There was no way to prove that the light was meant for me.

Emmett suggested that since we were waiting for filming to restart that we might as well have lunch. Bree and I teased him about his bottomless pit stomach, but still agreed and decided to sit out by the catering truck, as the weather was good.

Walking outside toward the truck, we could hear the sound of the paps outside, scrambling for information about what happened and who was in the ambulance. I suddenly got an idea.

"Bree, could you please do me a favour?" I asked.

"Of course." She replied instantly.

"Could you please go out to the paps and ask Edward if he would like to join us for lunch?"

She gaped at me and Emmett protested, loudly "No way! We still don't know enough about this guy…"

"And what better way to get to know him," I interrupted, "that to have lunch with me, my bodyguard and my personal assistant?"

We stared each other down for a few seconds, before Emmett said, "Fine!" and stormed off toward the truck in search of food.

Bree and Edward came around the corner and he rushed over to me.

"Hey, I heard someone got crushed by a falling light. Are you okay?" he asked in a rush.

"I'm fine, Edward. It was one of the crew." I replied.

"Oh, good…I mean good for you… not for the guy…so much." He stuttered out.

"So…Edward, is it?" Emmett asked faux-innocently, Edward just nodded, "What's your story?"

"Ahhh, what do you mean?" he asked.

"You know, where are you from, why are you a pap, why'd you call Bella four days ago?" he tried to slip in the last question non-chalanlty.

"I'm from Chicago, originally. I'm a pap because it pays the rent. And I didn't call Bella four days ago, I don't even have her number." He replied immediately.

"Well, she called you last week, didn't she?" Emmett asked, embarrassing me more with each passing second.

"Yeah, but the number was private. You can't return a private call." He responded, looking confused, "What's this all about, Bella? I thought you wanted to have lunch with me, not have this grizzly bear interrogate me."

I was mortified, I glared at Emmett for a moment, before responding, "I'm so sorry, Edward. Emmett is my body guard, he's just looking out for me."

"Why do you need a bodyguard?" he asked and with that I launched into the whole story, from the headless roses to the light falling, less than an hour ago.

"Shit," he exclaimed as I finished, "Well, look. I'm going to be here every day, trying to get your picture…" he added with a wink, "so I'm happy to keep an eye out for you, if you like?"

"Thank you, Edward." I replied sincerely.

"You're welcome," he replied, "I'd better get back to my 'job', gotta pay rent this week." He looked pointedly at Emmett as he said the last part. "Nice to meet you, Bree, Emmett." He said as he nodded to each of them. He sent me a small wave and left.

"Bella," Bree began, "Do you think it was such a good idea, sharing all that stuff with Edward?"

"Not you too!" I exclaimed.

"No, hear me out. I am not saying he is necessarily the stalker…but he is a pap. Who's to say he won't go and report all that stuff to the media, now?" she asked.

"Well, he won't…" I said.

"Bella, I 'm just telling you to be careful, that's all. We don't know that much about this guy…" she trailed off at the look on my face.

"Well, we'll see. If the information shows up somewhere, then we'll deal with it." I reasoned.

Emmett grinned at me, "I'll be happy to deal with him." He cracked his knuckles.

I rolled my eyes at him and the director's assistant came to tell us filming was starting.

I spent the rest of the day going through the motions as I pondered everything that had happened.

Why was I so intent on defending Edward? I really didn't know that much about him. I couldn't answer that, myself. So I made a decision. I would get to know him, prove to Bree and Emmett and Angela and everyone else that Edward was not my stalker.

That's right; Bella Swan was going to willingly spend time with a pap.

A/N: Any new theories? Let's get more than 7 reviews!


	10. Party

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Chapter 10: Party

That night I arrived home to find five missed calls on my phone, all from Rose. She hadn't left any messages, instead obviously wanting me to call her back. It was certainly not worth keeping Rose waiting, so I called her back on my way up to take a shower.

"Why didn't you answer any of my calls?" She demanded in lieu of a greeting.

"Well, hello to you, too, Rose."

"Yeah, yeah, Hello… now why didn't you answer?"

"I've been on set all day, I just walked in the door." I replied wearily.

"Oh, of course, the new film! How'd it go?" she asked earnestly.

"Well…okay…"

"Uh oh, what happened?"

I hadn't spoken to Rose in a while, so I had to rehash the entire 'stalker' story. When I told her about hiring a bodyguard, she responding in true Rose form.

"What does he look like?"

"He's huge, like really, really gigantic."

"Hmmm… is he hot?"

"Rosalie Hale, you are dating someone, are you not?"

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me…"

"No problem, what are friends for?" I asked with a giggle.

"Shut up, I meant for reminding me what I called for… Royce is insisting on throwing you a birthday party next weekend." She rushed out, knowing I wouldn't be happy.

"Rose," I whined out, "You know I prefer a small get together with my actual friends."

"I know, I know and I'm sorry, but I accidently mentioned buying your birthday present in front of Royce and he insisted." She sounded sincere and I knew she wouldn't have done it on purpose. "And," she continued, "It would be really good for his business to have you celebrating your birthday there."

"Fine." I responded, resigned.

"Really? Okay who do you want on the guest list?"

"Angela, Bree, Alice and Jasper. Oh… and I guess my bodyguard, Emmett Mc Carty."

"That's all?" she queried.

"Well, you'll be there already and that's all I would've invited to my party anyway."

"Okay…"

"Oh and ah… Edward Cullen." I interrupted, remembering my plea to spend some time with him.

"Who?"

"Edward Cullen, he's a…friend…of mine." I stammered out.

"MmmmHmmm, well you can tell me more about him at the party, Okay?"

"Alright Rose. I'm dying for a shower. Is that all? I asked, almost asleep on my feet.

"Yes, Bella. Get some sleep, I'll talk to you later in the week."

We said our goodbyes and hung up. Even though I was extremely tired, I stayed in the shower until the water started to run cold. I couldn't stop thinking about Edward and the stalker and the party and what might happen this weekend. I wasn't ashamed to admit that I was a little nervous about everything that was going on in my life.

Despite my racing mind, I managed to fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly throughout the night.

The rest of the week went by quickly and it was Friday before I knew it. No other on-set 'mishaps' occurred and all was quiet on the stalker-front. This only worried Emmett and me more about the party on Saturday night; surely it couldn't stay this quiet for long.

In keeping with my promise, I invited Edward to lunch on Wednesday. It was a little awkward with Emmett and Bree hanging around, but I least managed to invite him to my birthday party, which he promised to attend.

Friday night found me in Alice's studio, trying on outfits for the party.

"So, you invited Edward to the party?" she asked, drawing out the r in his name.

"Yes, I've decided to give him a chance… even though Ange, Em & Bree are all 'concerned' about my relationship with him." I replied, using actual air quotes.

"Well, he seemed nice enough when he dropped you off after hurting your ankle that time. I mean how many guys, let alone paps, would do that for someone?" she asked.

"Yeah, but that's what Emmett is concerned about. He thinks it's all a bit too convenient."

"I don't know, Bell. I usually get a vibe around the super skeevy guys, and he just didn't fit the bill, to me." She stated as I came out of the dressing room, "Oh my God! That is definitely what you're wearing tomorrow night." Alice was very easily distracted by pretty clothes.

I had to admit, looking in the mirror, that it was the quintessential party dress. Fitted across the bust, and then floating outwards to my mid thigh. The top half of the dress was a brilliant magenta silk, and starting from the bottom, going up to about the waist was a pattern of dark metallic coloured flowers. It was gorgeous.

"Oooh, and I have the perfect shoes!" Alice yelled and ran off to the shoe cupboard. She reappeared holding a pair of Jimmy Choo's. They were gunmetal grey, patent leather peep toes and when I put them on; I noted that they were indeed the perfect shoes.

"Awesome, as always, Al. Thank you!" I exclaimed as I did a small twirl in front of the mirror.

She promised to be at my place tomorrow night at six to help me get ready for the party and I went home and crashed in bed, worn out from the long week of filming and worrying.

Alice and Jasper arrived right on six, and Alice ushered me straight up to my room to take a shower.

"Emmett's in the living room watching football, Jazz. Just go introduce yourself." I managed to call out as Alice practically dragged me up the stairs.

When I came out from my shower, clad only in my robe, Bree was in my room, getting her makeup done by Alice. She stopped what she was doing to roll out my hair, and then finished with Bree.

Two hours later we were all ready and decided to go down to hang out with the guys before we left.

"The stalker could be anybody, guys, so let's all keep our eyes open, kay?" Emmett said as we were sitting around the living room, killing time before we were being picked up by Royce's personal limousine at nine.

"Em, come on. This is supposed to be a party. Let's all just try to have some fun." I replied, annoyed that he had to bring it up, at all.

"B, nothing has happened since Monday. That's the longest he…or she… has gone without contact so far. We need to be vigilant." He replied, serious-face on.

"Alright Em." I sighed as the security gate intercom buzzed. Emmett verified it was Royce's driver and we went outside to wait.

The party was in full swing as we arrived and I tried to inconspicuously look for Edward. I couldn't see him yet, though I did spot Rose as she manoeuvred her way through the crowd to get to me.

She wrapped my in a tight hug and whispered "Happy Birthday!" in my ear, before greeting Alice, jasper and Bree. When she got to Emmett, they both stopped and blatantly checked each other out for a minute, before I realised I hadn't introduced them yet.

"Ah, Rosalie Hale, this is Emmett McCarty." I said.

Rose held her hand out to Emmett, but instead of shaking it, as she intended, he brought it to his lips and whispered "Charmed" before he kissed it. Then Rose did something I never thought I'd see her do. She blushed… and giggled.

"So, Rose where's Royce?" I asked, trying to divert her attention from Emmett for a moment.

"I don't know, in the back office, I think." She replied without looking up, my diversion tactic failing miserably.

"Can I get you a drink, Rosalie?" asked Emmett.

Rose batted her eyelashes at him, "Sure," she purred out. Emmett's grin went from ear to ear as he disappeared toward the bar, Rose in tow.

Jessica Stanley came over to wish me happy birthday and as we were talking about all the trivial things going on in Hollywood, Alice, Jasper and Bree all took off toward the bar or the dance floor.

I began searching over Jessica's head for Edward again when I spotted someone I truly did not want to. James.

"Happy Birthday, Bella." He practically sneered at me. I realised he was probably still pissed about the way I had yelled at him in London. I decided to try and be civil.

"Thank you, James."

"Ha, you thought I was being serious." He spat out at me. I didn't reply and began looking around for anyone who could save me.

"What's the matter, Bella? Don't want to talk to me?" he asked, noticing me looking around.

"No, I just thought I saw someone." I tried.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," he started, shaking his head at me; "you better get some better acting skills if you want to win that Oscar. Who'd you sleep with to get nominated for that anyway?"

"Okay, James. I don't know how much you've had to drink tonight, but I think that's enough." I replied as I tried to step around him. I didn't get far though because he grabbed my wrist as I was almost beside him.

"You don't go anywhere until I say you do. We are going to stand here and have a nice conversation, got it?" he asked, my wrist starting to hurt.

Just as I was about to try and diffuse the situation, a familiar voice boomed out from my right.

"Bella! Happy birthday! I was just looking for you. Oh, who's your friend?" Edward asked, knowing full well who James was.

"Edward," I said with relief, "Um… this is James Turner. We've worked together a couple of times."

"Oh, well nice to meet you, James. But I'm gonna steel the birthday girl, here for a dance, okay?" Before James could protest, Edward grabbed my hand from his grasped and whisked me off toward the dance floor.

We started dancing, to keep up the pretence before he spoke: "Are you okay, Bella?"

"Yeah, thanks for that." I replied earnestly.

"No problem," he smiled, "he didn't hurt you did he?" he asked as he grabbed my wrist and ran his thumb gently over the angry red marks that were there. The butterflies exploded in my stomach at his touch.

"No, he's just mad at me, because I put him in his place a while back and he didn't like it." I responded.

"Okay, well I still would like to dance with you. It wasn't just a ruse to get you away from the creep." He smirked at me and I could hardly refuse.

"Sure," I purred, taking a lesson from Rose.

As I said it, though, a slower RnB song came on. Edward didn't miss a beat; he just spun me around so my back was up against his chest, put his hands on my hips and started moving to the music.

Moving against Edward was like nothing I ever dreamed of. The butterflies in my stomach had turned into a slow burn that was making its way throughout my entire body. It wasn't enough; I pushed myself back until there was no room between our bodies at all and before I knew what I was doing, I pushed my lower half back into him.

He groaned lowly into my ear and pushed his lower half back into me. Even with me heels on I was still a tiny bit shorter than Edward, so when he did this I could feel his very obvious state of arousal press into my lower back.

I gasped in surprise and he went to step back, misreading my gasp as one of displeasure. Not wanting him to continue that train of thought, I turned and grabbed onto his shoulders, bringing him back closer to me, face-to-face this time. He wound his arms around my waist as I did the same to his neck. We continued dancing like this, looking only at each other, for a moment, before he started bringing his face closer to mine.

I realised immediately his intention was to kiss me, but before I overanalyse the situation, his lips were on mine.

I froze, for a split second the warnings of my friends ran through my head, but he wasn't taking no for an answer, his lips insistently moving over mine. I gave up and gave in to his kiss, the warnings of my friends fading to a distant whisper in the back of my mind.

I thought I was on fire when we were dancing, but this was something else, entirely. It was like tiny explosions were going off throughout my body and when his tongue asked for permission to enter my mouth, I didn't hesitate. After a minute of making out on the dance floor, I remembered where we were and pulled back.

"Wow"

"Shit" He and I said simultaneously.

"I've got to go." I replied breathlessly as I turned and sped away from him. My thoughts were a jumble; I had to get away from him.

"Bella!" I could hear him calling after me, but I just kept walking, looking for someone, anyone to get me out of here.

I came across Emmett and Rosalie first, looking awfully cosy in a booth.

"Em, can you take me home please?" I asked, the look on my face must have been enough to convince him, because he was out of his seat saying his goodbyes to Rose immediately.

He ushered me through the door and to the car without a word.

He asked if I was alright and if I wanted to talk about it on the way home. I declined, not wanting a lecture on not trusting Edward, before I could wrap my own head around what just happened.

Emmett dropped me off at home and I showered and went to bed. Sleep wouldn't come, however as I replayed the nights events over and over again in my mind.

At around three am the phone rang. I was nervous to answer, but decided I would just hang up and call Emmett if it was the stalker.

"Hello?" I answered warily.

"Bella? It's Bree. I'm calling from the hospital."

"What happened? Are you okay?" I asked in a rush.

"I'm fine. It's Rose, she was found in the alley behind the club, beaten unconscious. She's being taking in for surgery now, you better get down here."

A/N: Seven reviews again! Thanks guys…

Any new theories?


	11. Phone Call

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters…

Chapter 11: Phone call

I arrived at the hospital around four am and despite the early hour, paps surrounded the entrance.

'Bad news travels fast,' I thought to myself as I parked my car, pulled my hood up over my head and made a run for it.

"Bella, is it Rosalie? Bella, is she okay? Bella, what happened?" The shouts were deafening as I pushed my way through the crowd. Once I was safely inside, I realised I hadn't heard the velvet voice of Edward in the crowd.

I was kind of glad that I wouldn't have to face him after what had happened at the club.

Bree was waiting for me just inside the doors and she took me up to the surgical waiting room.

Alice and Jasper were already there and the minute we locked eyes on each other, Alice and I were in each other's arms sobbing over our friend.

"Wh…wha…what happened?" I managed to stutter out through my tears.

Bree explained that as she, Alice and Jasper were leaving; they decided to go through the side door to avoid the crowd. They found Rose on the ground unconscious and bleeding and called an ambulance immediately.

"When we got here, they were already taking her up for emergency x-rays and surgery. That's as much as we know right now." Bree finished softly.

"It's my fault." I stated seriously.

"Don't be silly…" Alice started, but I interrupted her.

"It is… It was my party and I'll bet it was my stupid stalker that did this, because I left early…" I started sobbing again.

It was larger arms that encircled me as I cried this time and I looked up to see Jasper holding me.

"Come on now, Darlin', we don't know anything for sure, yet. Let's wait until Rose wakes up, then she can tell us what happened. Okay?" He asked.

I don't know what it was about Jasper, but he had this way of calming people down, no matter the strength of emotions they were feeling, "Okay, Jazz…" I sniffed, "thanks."

He winked at me and went back to sit by Alice. Bree took his place and we held hands while staring at the door, waiting for any news.

Sometime later I thought to ask where Royce was. Bree said they hadn't been able to get in contact with him; apparently he had his phone turned off.

At six am I called Emmett, knowing that he would freak out if he showed up at my house and I wasn't there. I told him about Rose and he came straight to the hospital.

It wasn't until close to seven that the doctor came in to give us an update.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Cullen," said a very handsome man who I would guess was in his early forties. "Are any of you family?"

"No, Rose's parents are on a cruise and we can't get in contact with them. She has no other family, only us." I answered gesturing to Alice and myself.

"Well, okay, then." He asked Alice and me to step outside while he updated us on Rose's condition.

"She has multiple broken ribs, a punctured lung, fractured cheek bone and numerous internal injuries. We had a hard time stopping the bleeding in her kidneys, but we got it under control and she is in a stable condition now. She has just woken up from the anaesthetic and she is asking for you, Bella."

I raised a brow in question of how the doctor knew my name, "Well, you aren't dressed for the red carpet, but I still recognise you. My wife is a big fan." He grinned at me and it seemed a very familiar gesture.

"Oh, well, after all you've done for Rose, I'd be happy to sign an autograph or something, if she'd like." I responded.

"That would be lovely. Now come and I'll take you to see Miss Hale. Only one at a time, I'm afraid." He said, looking back at Alice. She gestured for me to go and the doctor took me to Rose's room.

As I was entering the room, I suddenly realised were I had seen that boyish grin before, "Wait… what did you say your name was again?" I asked.

"Dr. Cullen," he responding as I sucked in a sharp breath, "Carlisle Cullen."

"Well, ah, thank you, Dr Cullen." I was about to have an internal freak-out, but just then I turned around and saw Rose.

Tears immediately welled in my eyes as I desperately tried to hold it together for her. Rose's face was black and blue and swollen beyond recognition. She had a large white bandage wrapped around her head and numerous wires poking out from under her blanket, connected to beeping machines surrounding her bed.

She opened her one good eye, slowly and grimaced up at me. "I'm here, nearly dying, and there you are flirting with my doctor." She bit out sarcastically.

I sob-laughed at her attempt at humour and went over to the bed and took her hand in both of mine.

"I'm so sorry, Rose." I cried out.

"What the hell are you sorry for?" she asked.

"It's my fault, I should've never had that party with this stalker after me."

"What's you r stalker got to do with Royce beating the shit out of me?" She asked.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"It was Royce. That mother fucker almost killed me." She practically growled.

"But, but I thought it was because I left and the stalker got to you instead and…"

"Well, I knew you were self-absorbed. But seriously?" she asked.

"I'm sorry Rose. I don't know, this stalker thing is messing with my head. What happened?"

"He said I publically embarrassed him by flirting with Em at his club. So he started walking me towards the side door. I just thought he was kicking me out, you know, but he followed me out the door and as I turned around to ask where we were going, he punched me in the face. I don't remember the rest, but I assume he was trying to kill me." Silent tears were rolling down her cheeks as she finished.

"Oh, Rose…" I cried with her for a moment, when a nurse came in and gave her more medication.

She fell asleep right away and I quietly exited the room. I went back to the waiting room and retold the story Rose had just given me.

Emmett was understandably distraught, blaming himself and swearing that he would kill Royce King if he ever got his hands on him.

The Police were waiting, too, but were unable to do anything until they got the story from Rose, herself. The two detectives decided to go and wait outside Rose's room in order to get her statement as soon as she woke up.

We all decided to go home and try and get some sleep before we came back to check on Rose again, later.

Emmett followed me home and as I was getting out of my car I noticed a package on the doorstep. I pointed it out to Emmett and he told me to stay where I was. He went to the package and fingered the lid off very carefully, then stepped back.

Curiosity got the better of me and I ran up the steps to see what it was.

Inside the box was a teddy bear. The seam that ran down the middle of its belly had been ripped apart and the stuffing was spilling out all over the box. Attached to the foot with a safety pin was a note: This is what you've got coming to you, Bitch!

Still feeling emotional from the morning with Rose, I burst into a fresh round of tears. Emmett tried to comfort me, but I struggled out of his arms.

"No! I'm sick of this, Em! When is it going to stop?" I yelled out as I run into the house and up to my room.

I threw myself face down on the bed and cried until I couldn't possibly cry anymore. I heard a Police cruiser turn up the driveway and muffled voices as Emmett told them about the package.

Eventually, I pulled myself off the bed and into the shower, where I stayed until the water ran cold. When I got out I had a headache from crying so much and decided to take some ibuprofen and go to bed.

Not wanting to go downstairs, I sent Emmett a text message from bed to tell him I was sleeping and climbed under the covers.

When I woke up, the sky was dusky with twilight and I decided to bite the bullet and call Edward to talk about the night before. I still didn't know why, exactly I ran from him, but I guessed I was scared of how much I already liked him. I nervously dialled his number and waited.

I got his voicemail and hung up, not knowing what to say.

I ventured downstairs and found Emmett watching football in the living room.

"How you feeling?" he asked.

"Okay." I shrugged.

"So, I decided you need round-the-clock guarding from now on, and I can't do that on my own…" he trailed off. I looked at him expectantly, waiting for the rest. "I asked a friend of mine to do night-shift."

"What?" I fumed "Em, you know how I feel about having even one body-guard. I certainly do not want two!"

"I know, but you'll barely even see him, because he'll do seven-til-seven. Most of that time you'll be asleep." Emmett responded, pleadingly. Then he unleashed the puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine!" I practically shouted.

Emmett grinned, "Good, 'cos he's starting tonight."

I was over it by this stage, "Whatever! Now take me to see Rose, would you?"

We found out that Royce was missing. The Police hadn't been able to find him and they believed that he had probably left the country early that morning, while Rose was still in surgery.

Emmett was able to visit with Rose this time and I gave them some privacy. When he came out, his eyes were suspiciously red and he excused himself to get a drink form the cafeteria. I knew he didn't want me to see him crying.

I tried calling Edward again while Emmett was gone, but it went to voicemail again. I wondered if he was avoiding me. The thought made me quite unhappy.

Arriving home, there was an unfamiliar red Jeep in my driveway. I tensed up for a second, before Emmett put his hand on my knee and reassured me that this was the new guy.

He got out of his car and I noticed straight away that he almost rivalled Emmett in terms of size, but he had russet coloured skin, and straight black hair, cut into a spiked style.

"Bella, this is Jacob. Jake, Bella." Emmett introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Bella." Jacob stated, shaking my hand and revealing a set of bright white teeth as he smiled.

"You, too." I replied. "I'm starving, gonna get some food." I directed at Emmett.

"Kay, I'll just show Jake around before I go." He said, leading Jacob away.

I made a quick sandwich and decided to call Edward one more time, resolving to leave a message this time, if he didn't answer. He didn't and when the beep sounded to leave a message, I faltered for a second, before leaving my message.

'Hi, Edward. This is Bella. Um, I just wanted to talk about what happened last night. Could you please call me back when you get a chance? Thanks.' I rattled off my number and disconnected.

Emmett came in to say good night and I walked him to the door. After he left I told Jacob I was having a quick shower and going to bed.

Climbing under my covers for the second time in twelve hours, there was a knock on my bedroom door.

"Come in." I called.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realise you were already in bed." Jacob said as he looked at the floor.

"S'okay, what's up?" I asked.

"You left your phone downstairs and it kept ringing, so I answered it."

I frowned in displeasure at his answering my phone, but asked, "Who was it?"

"Someone called Edward."

"What did he say?" I asked impatiently.

"Well, he asked for you and I said you were in the shower. Then he asked who I was and I said I was a friend. Then he laughed and I asked if he wanted to leave a message. He said to tell you 'Now I know why you ran away last night, you should've told me about your friend'"

I realised immediately that Edward thought Jacob was my boyfriend and I was horrified.

"What? Why did you say you were a friend?" I demanded.

"I'm not supposed to tell people I'm your bodyguard." He answered simply.

"But, but…shit…what a mess." I laughed humourlessly. "Please don't ever answer my phone again, Jacob." I said my ire returning.

"I'm sorry, Bella. It won't happen again."

"Oh, I know it won't. I don't want another body guard, Jacob. So just give me an excuse, and I'll fire your sorry ass." With that I waved him off and le backed out the room, looking contrite.

I picked up my phone from the bedside table, where Jacob left it when he brought it up and tried calling Edward. It didn't even ring, going straight to voicemail.

Deciding to deal with that mess in the morning, when I saw him at the film lot, I snuggled under my covers and tried to get some sleep.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys. RL is crazy busy at the moment, so I didn't get time to reply to anyone…. I am very sorry!

I love the theories that are coming in… Some people are thinking way outside the box, which is awesome…keep them coming!


	12. Perfect

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters…

A/N: Just a short one this time…

I have to say I was a little disappointed in the response to the last chapter… only 2 reviews… It makes me wonder if people are still reading this story? I guess there is no point in writing it if no one is reading it…

Chapter 12: Perfect

Emmett picked me up, as per usual, in the morning for work. On the way he told me that the Police had called the night before to say there were no fingerprints anywhere on the delivery, so the stalker had probably used gloves.

"Of course…" I muttered under my breath. Emmett reached over and patted my knee.

"Don't worry, B. Jake & me won't let him get anywhere near you." He stated.

"MmHm, unless Rose is around, anyway." I quipped.

"Huh? What're you talking about?" he asked, looking confused.

"Edward had to save me from James at my party. You were to cosy with Rose to even notice."

"Wait, who's James and why did you need to be saved?"

"He's just this sleazy guy I've worked with a few times. I didn't tell you because it wasn't important, he was just in his usual creep-mode and Edward came and dragged me away from James and to the dance floor." I explained.

"Oh, okay. But you were alright?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, he's just a slimeball who doesn't like being told no. He's harmless."

"If you say so, but if he does anything to bother you again, you tell me straight away. Got it?" Serious Emmett was back, I tried not to giggle or roll my eyes as I nodded in response.

As we approached the gate I scanned the waiting paps, looking for the tell-tale bronze hair.

He wasn't there. He didn't show for the rest of the week, either and every time I tried to call, he ignored my call. I refused to leave a message, wanting to talk to him in person. I figured I was part of his job and he couldn't avoid me forever.

Emmett and I picked up Rose from the hospital on Saturday morning and she insisted she was well enough to come with me to Alice's studio while I tried on Oscar's gowns.

"I have to give you my final approval." She stated from the backseat of Emmett's car.

"Alright, but you have to take it easy, it's your first day out of the hospital." I replied.

"I know this. I was going stir crazy in that place, I need to get out for a bit."

When we got to the studio, Emmett helped Rose out of the car and then wrapped his arm around her waist in order to 'help' her get inside. At least, that was what he said, Rose wasn't complaining.

After trying on the first three dresses, I came out of the dressing room to show Rose the fourth one, when Alice and I realised she and Emmett had disappeared into Alice's office.

"Ewww," Alice exclaimed, "They better not defile my desk!"

I burst out laughing and explained that Rose wasn't really in any condition to be rolling around on a desk.

"Well, okay then… Nope, that's not the one, take it off and try this." Alice stated while handed me another dress.

"Why, Al," I whined, "I like this one."

"Trust me, I'll know the right one when I see it on you."

I went back into the dressing room, changed into the new gown and walked back out.

"Oh, Bella. That's it." Alice exclaimed, putting her hand over her mouth.

I walked over to the full length mirror and studied my reflection.

"Ali, I will never, ever doubt your brilliance as a stylist again." I gushed.

It was a nude-coloured Versace. Bandage style fitted bodice and a full feathered skirt fanning out from my waist to the floor. It fit like a dream and I doubted it would even need any alteration.

"It won't even need any alteration," Alice spoke, confirming my thoughts.

Just then the office door opened and Rose and Emmett came out holding hands and grinning at each other. Rose looked up toward me and stopped in her tracks.

"Ummm, yeah… you definitely have my approval. In fact, if you don't wear _that_ dress, I might be forced to hurt you." Rose dead-panned.

"Wow, B. You scrub up okay, huh?" Emmett added.

Alice was uncharacteristically quiet and when I turned back to face her, she had tears in her eyes and her hand was still over her mouth.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to get this off before you cry all over it, Ali." She just nodded and motioned with her hand towards the dressing room.

On the way to Rose's I decided I was going to throw a dinner party the next night, having never really celebrated my Oscar nomination.

"Rose, are you free tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, where am I gonna go looking like this?" she replied, gesturing to her face.

"Good. I'm going to have a dinner party. I never got to celebrate my Oscar nomination, and I thought I better have a party now, in case I don't win."

"One; you should have a dinner party, you've been stressed out lately. Two; have you even seen your performance in that movie? You have that Oscar in the bag. You better write a speech, too." She argued.

"Whatever, I don't want to get my hopes up. I still need to look gracious if someone else gets it. So you'll come?"

"Of course, could I bring a date?" she asked coyly. Emmett nearly swerved off the road, looking back at her.

"Yes, you can bring a date." I wondered where she was going with this, but I didn't have to wonder long.

"Emmett, are you free tomorrow night?" she asked. Now, I thought I'd seen Emmett's biggest grin. I was wrong; this one practically split his face in half.

"Yes, I'm free." He replied.

"Well, a friend of mine is throwing a dinner party. Would you like to be my date?"

"Of course, what time should I pick you up?"

They went on like this all the way to Rose's apartment building, where I carried her bag and Emmett helped her to the couch.

As soon as I walked in the door, back at my place, I tried calling Edward again. No answer. I wondered if he would reply to a text and figured it wouldn't hurt to try.

_Having a dinner party 2moro nite, wanna come?_

It took around twenty minutes of me incessantly checking my phone before a reply came through.

Won't ur boyfriend be mad at u for inviting me?

_I have no b/f… that was my bodyguard…been trying to call & explain_

Shit, sorry

_It's ok, will u come?_

Yeah

We texted back and forth for about an hour, when I decided to bite the bullet and actually call him.

He answered immediately and we stayed on the phone for another hour. I asked him why he hadn't been at the film lot this week. He was honest enough to tell me he was partly avoiding me and partly working on something else. He asked me why I ran from him after we kissed last week and I decided to be honest with him, too and told him about some of my friends wondering if he might be the stalker.

"What do you think about that?" he asked.

"I don't normally invite people I think are stalking my to dinner at my house." I retorted.

He laughed, "No, I don't suppose you would."

"Well, I have to go out to work. But I'll see you tomorrow night?" he continued.

"Yes, you will. Have fun at work." I replied.

"It would be more fun if I was taking photos of you, but I'll do my best."

"Cheesy," I laughed, "Alright, bye Edward."

"Bye, Bella."

That night as I was almost asleep a text came through.

_Looking forward to seeing you 2moro nite, sweet dreams, E_

I sighed into my pillow and fell asleep soon after. I dreamt of smouldering emerald eyes and running my fingers through bronze bed-hair all night.


	13. Power Out

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters…

A/N: Thanks guys for all the reviews last chapter. I apologise if it sounded like I was whining / digging for reviews last A/N, just struggling to keep up with RL, weekly posting, etc. But thanks for the support, I will finish this story!

Chapter 13: Power out

Being famous certainly had its advantages. Having an entire dinner party catered for in twenty-four hours was just one of them. All I had to do was take the main course out of the oven and serve.

I was just putting the finishing touches on my make up when I heard the gate buzzer.

"I got it," called Emmett from downstairs. He had stayed on after his shift, waiting for Rose to arrive for their first official date.

Alice burst into the room moments later to check out what I was wearing.

"Alice, I don't care what you say, I am not changing." I called out from the bathroom, before exiting.

"Bell, you look great," she exclaimed as I entered the bedroom, "I guess my brilliance had to rub off on you sometime, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…" I grinned at her.

"Seriously, though, you really do look good. Your little pap boyfriend isn't gonna know what hit him!" Alice replied as she looked up and down my emerald green silk wrap dress suggestively.

I burst out laughing at the look she was giving me and said, "Ali, never look at me like that again, it was seriously creepy and he's not my boyfriend…"

"But you want him to be." She interrupted in a sing-song voice.

"I don't know, Al. I just… I mean, he's still a pap and…"

"And what?" Alice asked impatiently, "I know what happened was horrible, but you can't continue blaming every pap you meet for the rest of your life. You know this, Bella. We've had this conversation more times than I can count."

"I know," I sighed, "and I really do plan on giving Edward a chance."

"Good! Now let's get downstairs, so you can make him drool." She giggled as she dragged me out of the room.

By the time we got downstairs Jasper and Jacob were watching some sort of sports talk show, Emmett and Rose were talking softly to each other on the loveseat and Bree and Angela were chatting about my filming schedule near the entry. Edward was the only one who hadn't yet arrived.

As if on cue, the buzzer rang.

Emmett and Jacob both began to get up before I said, "Don't worry, I'll let at least one of my own guests in" sarcastically.

I pushed the intercom button and confirmed what I already knew; Edward was here. The butterflies slowly made their presence known as I waited by the front door for him to park his car. Finally he knocked on the door.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sight that met me as I opened the door. Usually I saw him in his 'pap clothes'; jeans, t-shirt, sometimes hoodie, depending on the weather and he still looked gorgeous. Tonight, though he took my breath away. He was in black slacks, fitted in all the right places and a charcoal grey button up with the sleeves rolled up revealing his muscular forearms. His hair was damp, likely from a recent shower and he smelled like soap and leather and man.

When I realised I had been staring a tore my eyes away from his body, I noticed he was staring, too. The butterflies erupted and spread throughout my body and when his eyes snapped up to mine, the crooked grin appeared and I knew I was in trouble.

"Hi." I said breathily.

"Hi yourself," he replied with a raise of one eyebrow.

I grinned and lead him into the house. When we got to the living room all conversation ceased and every pair of eyes turned in our direction. Or at least that's what it felt like. I introduced Edward around the room, and unfortunately Jacob happened to be last.

"… and this is Jacob… my bodyguard."

The two men blatantly sized each other up before shaking hands, their grip lasting a fraction longer than was necessary. I rolled my eyes and asked everyone to find their seats in the dining room.

Jacob strolled up to where I was sitting and went to take the seat to my right when I pointed out that the seats were allocated. He scowled when he looked down and realised that seat he was about to take had Edward's name tag on it.

"But, I'm your bodyguard, I should be closest to you." He whispered in my ear.

"Jacob, you right. You are my bodyguard and you're actually on the clock, right now. You're lucky I'm not making you eat in the servants quarters, or something." I whispered back at him.

I didn't know where this possessive crap was coming from, but I was determined to nip it in the bud, before it got any worse. I was somewhat used to Jacob by now and I didn't really want to have to get another bodyguard.

"I raised my eyebrows at him and he stomped off to the other end of the table to find his seat.

Edward took his seat and asked, "Is everything okay?" nodding with his head toward the end of the table where Jacob now sat.

"Yeah, I'm not really sure what that was about." I shrugged and stood to address everyone. "Thanks everyone for coming. I am really excited to be nominated for my first Oscar and I wanted to celebrate with the people that really matter to me. Now, let's eat!"

With that everyone dug into their ceasar salads. Everyone chatted amicably, until sometime during the main course, talk turned to the stalker. I filled everyone in on the latest news and they all expressed their worry at the situation. Edward reached under the table and sqeezed my hand in support, I smiled over at him, when Jacob's phone rang.

He excused himself to answer and came back only seconds later, looking like he'd just seen a ghost.

Serious Emmett launched into action, "What happened?" he asked.

"Ummm," Jacob started, "Maybe we should talk about it out here, Em." He indicated over his shoulder.

"No! You tell me what's going on right now!" I demanded.

Jacob looked at Emmett for support, but Emmett deferred back to me, "She's gonna find out eventually, Jake. Just tell us."

"It was a guy. He said tell the Bitch she's going to die before she ever wins an Oscar and I'll see her real soon."

The lights flickered as Jacob finished speaking and we all stood up from our seats. "I'll get some flashlights, just in case." I said, needing to get out of the room.

"I'll give you a hand." Edward stated and we walked out toward the entry closet. Before we got there, though, the lights went out completely. I gasped and grabbed onto Edward, hearing shouts of concern from the other room.

Edward wrapped his arms around me and backed me protectively into the wall. I didn't know what was going on, but I felt surprisingly safe trapped between Edward and the wall, the way I was.

The lights came back on pretty quickly and I looked up at Edward to thank him, but he was already looking down at me and the moment our eyes met, I knew I needed to kiss him. So I raised up on my toes and pressed my lips to his. He responded instantly, but before the kiss got too heated, Jacob's voice echoed through the room.

"Must have been a power surge." He hollered, before noticing our embrace, "Uh… I'll just…" and he backed out of the room. It didn't matter though because the rest of my friends came out to check on us.

Alice had a knowing grin on her face as I walked her to the door later that night. "So?" she asked.

I just smiled in response and said "I'll let you know."

Edward was the last to leave, besides Jacob who was still on duty, and as he was making his way toward the door, he said, "One day, I'll get you to tell me why you hate the paparazzi so much."

I only thought about it for a moment before I responded with, "I want to tell you, can you stay a bit longer."

"Of course." He replied and walked back toward me.

Once we were settled on the couch with fresh glasses of wine I launched into my story.

"When I was nineteen, my mother was killed in a car accident."

"I'm so sorry," he replied sincerely.

I gave him a weak smile and continued, "She was driving to the gym early one morning when a speeding car slammed into her. She was killed instantly." I took a deep breath and continued. " The guy that hit her was a pap, he was chasing a famous singer, trying to get a shot of her driving without her make up on."

I didn't realise tears had started streaming down my face until he reached over a wiped them from my cheek.

"I was in drama school at the time and seriously considered giving up my dream of becoming an actress. It wasn't until I found a letter my mother hadn't sent yet in her things, telling me how proud she was of me for going after my dreams that I decided to continue." I finished.

"Bella, I am so sorry that happened to you. But you can't blame us all for that one idiot." He reasoned, sounding a lot like Alice.

"Until I met you, I had no reason not to believe all paps were 'idiots'. They all acted the same way, stopping at nothing to get what they wanted."

"And now?" he prompted.

"Now, I realise that you and Alice and everyone else who's ever said it to me are right. I can't keep blaming the paps for the rest of my life. It's time to move on."

"Anyone in particular you'd like to move on with?" he waggled his eyebrows at me.

I laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood and leaned over to kiss him, like it was the most natural thing in the world. He responded and we ended up spending the next hour making out like horny teenagers on the couch in my living room.


	14. Photography

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Chapter 14: Photography

A/N – I apologise for the mix up with the chapter 13 posting twice… ffn wouldn't post the new doc for me… hopefully this works!

I groaned as the alarm went off early the next morning, slapping blindly at the nightstand to shut it off. Edward hadn't left until after one this morning and it was now six am and I needed to get up and shower before I left for today's filming.

I dragged myself out of bed and showered quickly, heading downstairs to find an awfully chipper Emmett chatting with Jacob about the events of last night.

"What's got you smiling so big at this time of the morning, Em?" I asked smirking knowingly.

"Sorry, B. I don't kiss and tell." He responded smirking right back at me.

I walked over and threw my arms around him, whispering in his ear, "I'm so happy for you guys, I know you'll treat her right."

"I will," he whispered.

Jacob cleared his throat, "Is this the new standard bodyguard greeting?" he asked suggestively.

"You wish," I responded coldly, "Alright Em, let's get this show on the road."

We all walked out the door, Jacob leaving for the day and Emmett and I heading off to the film lot. As we got closer to the lot, I began fidgeting in my seat, knowing I would likely see Edward soon. I selfishly hoped he wasn't still sleeping. We rounded the corner, turning into the drive and I spotted him immediately.

"Now who's the smiley one?" Emmett asked suggestively.

"Shut up, Em" I grinned, watching Edward as we drive past, but not bothering to acknowledge him, knowing the window was tinted too dark for him to see me.

The morning dragged on uneventfully, the director finally calling lunch at close to two in the afternoon, I was starving having not eaten since the night before. Loading up my plate I wondered if Edward was around and sent off a quick text.

Hey r u around?

His response came almost instantly.

_Not far, y?_

Wanna come have lunch?

_OK. Let u no when I get there._

It was only five minutes after the last text that one more came through.

_Out front_

I sent Bree out to find him, while I stacked two plates full of food. As I was taking them toward my trailer he came around the corner, talking with Bree. He looked up and smiled at me, coming over to take one of the plates from me.

"Okay, I'm off to Alice's to schedule Oscar day. I'll talk to you about it later." Bree waved as she walked away.

"Hi," I said, smiling shyly.

"Hey, how's your day going?" he asked as we sat down at the little table in my trailer.

"Long!" I responded, laughing.

"Yeah, sorry. I didn't mean to sty so late last night." He replied sheepishly.

"Did you hear me complaining?" I asked, one eyebrow raised.

He shook his head and laughed a little nervously. We ate in relative silence for a while before I asked him where he was when I texted.

"You got here so fast after my text before. Where were you?"

He scratched the back of his head and looked away, "Uh, there's a gallery around the corner."

"Oh yeah, I think I've seen it before. Were you browsing?" I asked.

"No, I um… they've asked to show some of my photos for an exhibition." He replied.

"Your pap shots?" I asked confused as to why the gallery would want to show those.

"No, my photography…"

"Oh… this is why you kept telling me you were a photographer and not a pap." I said, realisation dawning on me. He simply nodded.

"So, are you going to do it? The exhibition, I mean?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, it's great exposure for me. I really don't want to be a pap forever you know." He shrugged.

I smiled brightly at him, "So, what are you going to show?"

"Uh, I don't know. I have hundreds of shots to choose from. I better start looking through them, I suppose."

"Would you like some help?" I asked, hoping I wasn't being too forward.

He glanced up at me, surprised. "Really?"

"Of course, I'd love to see your work." I replied earnestly.

"Okay." He said simply.

"Are you busy tonight?" I asked.

"No, what time do you finish up here?"

"I'll be home no later than eight."

"Alright, I'll be there at eight. I'll bring take out." He replied, asking if there was anything I didn't like. He finished eating in silence again, before Emmett burst in the door.

"They're calling you guys back," he said with his mouth full of sandwich.

"Thanks for the visual Em," I laughed, "I'll be right there."

I walked Edward as far as the studio I had to go in and we confirmed our plans for that night. Before he left he hesitated a moment, then leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on my cheek. "See you tonight." He said as he walked away.

The rest of the day dragged by even more slowly and my co-star kept forgetting his lines, meaning I didn't get home until twenty to eight. I ran straight upstairs, calling out to Jacob to let Edward in if he arrived while I was in the shower.

Fifteen minutes, and the fastest shower I've ever had, later I was walking downstairs to wait for Edward. I didn't have to wait long.

"I buzzed open the gate for the pap." Jacob said, distaste evident on his face as I neared the bottom of the stairs.

"His name is Edward and I would appreciate you staying out of our way tonight, thankyou." I snapped at him.

"Sure, sure." He put his hands up in a surrendering motion, before walking away to the kitchen.

I let Edward in when he knocked and led him to the living room where he sat out Chinese containers and chopsticks on the coffee table for us.

"Is this okay? Would you prefer the dining room?" I asked.

"Nah, this is good." He smiled, leaning toward me. I mimicked his action and our lips touched briefly before he started to pull back. I reached around and threaded my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck and pulled him back toward me. I felt him smile against my lips just before his tongue came out and swiped my bottom lip. I opened my mouth and our tongues met, we moaned simultaneously. We kept on like that for a few more minutes before my stomach growled embarrassingly loudly.

"Let's get you fed, huh?" he chuckled.

"That might be best." I laughed and reached for the noodle box.

We ate in mostly companionable silence again, only speaking about trivial things, like the weather and how the rest of our days went.

After gathering up the empty boxes and taking them to the kitchen, noticing Jacob was nowhere to be seen, I went back to the living room and found Edward looking through a bunch of photos.

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said there were hundreds!" I exclaimed looking at the huge pile of photos.

He startled slightly at the sound of my voice then smiled sheepishly, "Are you sure you want to help me sort through all these?"

"Absolutely!" I replied, plopping down beside him on the couch.

He handed me a pile of photos and I looked down at the first one and gaped. I knew he must have some talent for a gallery to want to show his work, but the photo in my hands was beautiful. It was of a girl standing on the beach at sunset. She was standing with her profile to the sun, light filtering through her hair and arcing around her face like a visible aura.

I tore my eyes away from the photo to look at Edward. His face showed apprehension, as he waited for my response to his work.

"Edward… this is… just… there are no words to describe how beautiful this picture is. It's simply stunning." I finally stuttered out. He stared into my eyes for a moment, likely ensuring the honesty behind my words. He must have found what he was looking for because his face suddenly broke out into a bright smile and he ducked his head.

"Thank you." He said peeking up at me through his lashes.

I went back to the pile in my lap and found photo after photo of exquisite work. I couldn't believe the amount of talent he had.

"Edward," I waited until he looked at me, "I need to apologise to you." He started shaking his head at me, but I wouldn't let him. "No, listen please. I should never have said you weren't a photographer. You could be the most talented photographer I've seen."

"Um, I'm not sure about that, but thank you. And you didn't need to apologise, but you are absolutely forgiven anyway."

He leaned over and started to kiss me again, soft sweet kisses, but once I opened my mouth and let his tongue in, it was a different story. He groaned into my mouth and his kisses became hungry and passionate. He began pushing me back and I followed with no resistance, laying back onto the couch, as he hovered over me, never breaking the kiss.

I broke away to take a ragged breath and his lips immediately attached to my neck, kissing and licking and sucking. I moaned loudly, my fingers finding their way back into his hair and tugging slightly, making him return my moan. His hand was resting on my hip, but starting inching up my side slowly, until his thumb grazed the side of my breast. He paused there for a moment, slowly brushing his thumb back and forth, until I couldn't take it anymore and thrust my chest towards his hand.

He groaned as his hand covered my breast and he started kneading lightly. I grabbed his chin and forced his mouth back to mine kissing him furiously. I parted my legs and he shifted to fit in between them, bucking his hips once he got there. I whimpered at the feeling of his hardened length hitting the seam of my jeans and he did it again.

A loud buzzing sounded nearby, startling us. I glanced around, realising it was my phone vibrating like crazy across the coffee table. I hesitated, wanting to ignore it, but finally sighed and I reached over to grab it.

"Hello?" I said as Edward slowly lifted himself off me and settled back down next to me on the couch.

"Bella? It's Al." I could tell she was crying and I immediately tensed up.

"Alice? What is it? What's wrong?" Edward noticed my tense form and hurried words and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side.

"Bell, I'm so sorry. The studio got broken into and your Oscar's dress has been slashed. It's completely unsalvageable." Alice cried out.

"Okay, but you're alright?" I asked slowly, "And the rest of the studio?"

"Yes, I'm fine, nothing else was touched. But what are we going to do? The Oscars are only days away."

"It's alright, Al. We'll work something out… I'm just glad you're okay. Listen we'll come down now and I'll pick something else, okay?"

"We'll?" she asked

"Edward's here, hang on," I held the phone away and explained to Edward what had happened. He said he was happy to come with me to the studio and pick a new dress. "He's coming with me…and I suppose Jacob will have to drive me." I muttered.

"Okay, well I'll see you soon."

I said good bye and hung up, getting up from the couch and calling for Jacob. He emerged from the kitchen, which was strange because he wasn't there when I put the trash in the bin; I shook the thought from my head and told him what happened at Alice's.

"Okay, I'll drive you over. I suppose the pap is gone?" he asked sarcastically.

"Actually, he's coming with you to the studio." Edward said as he rounded the corner from the living room.

Jacob scowled at him and headed for the door. I took his hand and walked out to Jacob's car, Edward went to open the front passenger door for me, when I shook my head and climbed into the back seat, patting the seat beside me as he climbed in.

"What am I, a chauffeur?" Jacob asked, irritated.

We just ignored him as we snuggled in the backseat and smiled at each other, remembering what had almost happened on the couch.

A/N: Thanks again guys for reading! I am sure you will be pleased Edward & Bella's relationship is moving along nicely…

I must say, though I am quite surprised no one has guessed the stalker yet, any new theories?


	15. Preparations

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

Chapter 15: Preparations

It was almost one by the time we arrived at Alice's studio. Jacob parked next to one of two Police cars and led us inside.

Alice was just finishing up giving her statement to the police officers as we entered and another officer was taking photos of what used to be my gown.

I had to admit I thought Alice may have been exaggerating about the state of the dress, but when I saw it myself tears welled up in my eyes. It was unrecognisable, feathers had been ripped, the bodice had been shredded and the remnants were scattered all over the studio floor. Just the thought that someone hated me enough to do that was overwhelming and I started to sob quietly.

Two strong arms encircled my waist from behind and the unique scent of Edward began to calm me immediately and I leaned back into him.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly in my ear.

I nodded, "Just a little overwhelmed, I guess."

Just then Emmett burst in the door, Jacob having called him from the car. He went straight over to the Police and Jacob and started asking questions. Alice asked one of the officers if she was done and they excused her. She practically sprinted over to me and wrapped her little arms around both me and Edward, as he had failed to get out of the way quickly enough.

"I'm so sorry, Bell. This was all my fault." She was sobbing into my shoulder, still gripping me tightly.

"Why? Did you shred my dress?"

She pulled away abruptly, "What? Of course not!"

"Well, it's not your fault then." I looked at her pointedly, almost daring her to disagree.

She sniffed once, squared her shoulders and said, "Right you need a new dress ASAP! Let's see what we've got."

Edward chuckled softly behind me at Alice's abrupt change in demeanour. I glanced back at him and smiled. Alice was unzipping garment bags at an unnerving speed and muttering to herself about dress styles and designers.

"Is she always like this?" Edward whispered.

"Yeah… but you get used to it." I giggled.

"I heard that," Alice yelled out without even turning around. "Aha! I knew it was here somewhere." She unzipped the last garment bag on the rack and pulled out the gown with a flourish.

"Where did that come from, Al? It wasn't in the pile I tried on?" I asked.

"No, it just arrived a couple days ago. But you had already chosen the other one, so I put it on the rack of gowns to be sent back. Now… go try it on!" she pushed the dress at me and pointed toward the dressing room.

"Is this okay, I mean for me to see your dress and all?" Edward asked softly.

"Yeah, I want your opinion. Okay?" he nodded and I walked over to the dressing room, noticing the police had left and only Emmett and Jacob remained speaking in hushed tones near the door.

I pulled the dress on and zippered up the side before stepping out into the studio again. Alice and Edward were sitting on the small sofa just outside the dressing room chatting. Edward caught sight of me first; he stopped talking and just gaped at me. Alice followed his line of sight and she too, stopped and stared.

"What? Is it awful? Let me see." I blurted out rushing to the mirror.

"Bella, it's not awful, it's stunning!" Alice found her voice first and called after me as I arrived at the mirror.

The dress was breathtaking. It was antique gold lace with cap sleeves and a wide V neck, plunging down to my cleavage. The hemline was scalloped and it had a small train. The fit was perfect, the length a little too long, but only because I was barefoot.

Alice appeared at my side with a pair of strappy gold Louboutin heels, seeming to have read my mind. She knelt down, helping me slip my feet in and the stood back and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

"Less dramatic than the last dress, but so, so beautiful, Bell."

"Why hasn't anyone snapped this up? It's gorgeous." I asked turning to check out the back of the dress.

"Well, I chose it for you ages ago and then it arrived late, so you didn't get to see it. But no one else got to see it either. It's vintage, one of a kind." She replied, looking smug. "It doesn't need a thing done to it, either, perfect fit!"

"There are no words to describe how exquisite you look in that dress right now." Edward said from my other side. I startled a little, not having heard him walk over.

I smiled and looked down but he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him, "Honestly, Bella. I don't know how I'm gonna concentrate on taking photos of you on the red carpet, looking like that." He leaned forward and kissed me sweetly.

I smiled and looked over to Alice, who was watching Edward and me with a serene smile on her face.

"Okay, get it off!" she said suddenly. "I am taking this home with me, to make sure nothing happens to it for the next couple of days!"

I wandered back over to the dressing room, noticing Emmett and Jacob watching me, Emmett smiling and giving me a thumbs up, Jacob scowling between Edward and me.

Emmett decided just to come home with us and crash in one of the spare rooms, since his shift started in just a few hours. So Edward and I rode with him, to try and avoid the awkwardness that always arose when Jacob was around.

Jacob waited at the front door while I walked Edward over to his car. "I'll call you tomorrow." He said and I nodded. He started leaning in to kiss me goodnight, when he glanced over my shoulder and sighed. I looked back and saw Jacob staring at us intently. I rolled my eyes at him and turned back to Edward, reaching my hands behind his neck and pulling him down to me.

"I don't know what his problem is…Just ignore him." I said.

He smirked and closed the distance between us quickly, kissing me hard. I moaned and opened my mouth to him, our tongues mingling immediately. I gripped his hair tighter and he groaned into my mouth, pushing me against the door of his car as we continued to kiss hungrily. A throat cleared loudly behind us and Edward pulled away.

"I'm gonna kill him…" he said breathlessly.

"Get in line." I quipped. He smiled at me and said he better go anyway, as it was late. After one last peck, he climbed in his car and drove away.

I walked straight past Jacob on the way in the house, completely ignoring him. When I got to the first floor landing, I turned to him and said, "If you ever behave like that again, I will not only fire you, I will make sure you never bodyguard in this town again. My private life is not your business, you are not my father!"

I turned and walked into my room without giving him the chance to respond. I crawled into bed; suddenly realising the next day was my last day of filming before breaking for the Oscars. I was apprehensive about it, not knowing whether the stalker would try anything on set again, but I knew I couldn't just stop doing things out of fear that he might do something.

I fell asleep quickly, but slept fitfully, nightmares plaguing my slumber. When I woke in the morning, I was confused by the amount of light streaming through my window, as I usually left before sunrise. I glanced over to the clock and practically flew out of bed realising it was eleven am.

I threw the bedroom door open and started calling for Emmett.

"What's wrong?" he asked running up the stairs.

"Why did you let me sleep so late?" I yelled.

"Shit! Is that all? I thought something happened!" he paused, breathing heavily. "The director called this morning. He heard about your stalker and cancelled filming for the day, thinking you had enough to deal with."

"Oh, well that was nice. Wait… how did he here about my stalker?"

Emmett looked sheepishly at me "I might've told him…" I narrowed my eyes at him before he continued, "I knew you wouldn't be able to work today on two hours sleep. Not to mention the stress over the stalker and the Oscars. I was just trying to look out for you, B."

I sighed, "I know, Em. Thanks."

I spent the day watching movies with Emmett and told him about the way Jacob had been acting toward me and Edward. He said he would talk to him about it.

Edward called late in the afternoon and we talked about inconsequential things like our days and Oscar preparation. He had to work that night, but we made plans for him to come over the following afternoon to hang out.

The next day was 'Oscars Eve', or so Alice was calling it. I was sitting in the office of her studio with Bree, going over the final schedule for the following day.

"So, Alice and I will get to your place at eight am…" Bree started.

"And you need to have had your shower and washed you hair, please." Alice interrupted.

"Then Ali will start on your hair and I will do your nails. After that is make up and then Ali will finish your hair while I double check cars, timing, red carpet arrivals and anything else I think of." Bree finished.

"Okay, so all I have to remember is to be up and showered by eight?" I asked, amused.

"And to wash your hair!" Alice chimed in.

"Alright, I think I've got it." I dead panned.

"So, Bella? Are you taking Edward as you date?" Alice asked and Bree snapped her head toward me, eagerly awaiting my answer.

"Ummm, no. He will be working." I answered feeling slightly confused. On the one hand I thought it was too early in our relationship to invite him to something so important, on the other hand I was slightly ashamed that I hadn't even thought about asking him.

"It's a shame he feels like he has to pap to make a living. Were his photos really that good?" Alice asked.

"So good, Al. You have no idea." I replied.

"But the gallery is showing some of his stuff, soon, right?" Bree asked, I nodded. "Well, surely that's a step in the right direction, getting his name out there, you know?"

"Yeah and the pictures he's chosen for the gallery are beautiful. I'm gonna go down there and buy some myself." I said.

"Okay, remember a little while ago and you said you'd never doubt my brilliance again?" Alice asked.

"I remember no such thing, actually…" I said raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it was something like that… anyway… I have a brilliant idea!"

"Hmmm?" I asked, scared of where she was going.

"So, you want to take Edward to the Oscars, right?" I shrugged noncommittally. "Yes you do." She affirmed. I just kept looking at her, waiting for the point. "How about you ask him to take exclusive photos of you getting ready for the Oscars with your best friends?"

I attempted to answer, but she cut me off, "Then he can sell the photos to the highest bidder and his name gets even more exposure. And… he won't have to be a pap for the night, so he can be your date."

I thought about it for a moment. In all honesty it wasn't a bad idea; in fact it was a great idea. I felt the corners of my mouth pull up into a smile and Alice clapped. "See? Brilliant!" she said pointing to herself.

I left not long after that, realising I had only an hour before Edward was supposed to come over. I considered Alice's idea for the better part of that hour and still hadn't completely made up my mind about asking him, when Emmett called out that Edward was pulling up the driveway.

I made my way slowly downstairs, seeing Edward standing just inside the door, laughing about something with Emmett. Once he noticed me, he excused himself from Emmett and made his way over to me.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey, how was your day? All set for tomorrow?" he asked.

As soon as he broached the subject, I knew it was now or never. I either had to ask him now or not ask him at all. I decided on the former.

"Yeah, uh… I actually wanted to talk to you about tomorrow… do you want to sit down."

He cocked an eyebrow at me, "Sure." He replied.

We walked over to the couch and sat down next to each other. I began talking right away, not wanting to lose my nerve. I explained about Alice asking if he was my date for the Oscars and my explanation that he had to work. He nodded, so I continued.

"Then Alice suggested a way for you to be able to take me to the Oscars… if you wanted to." I added quickly.

"Hmmm. What was the idea?" he asked hesitantly.

"Well I told her what an amazing photographer you were and she suggested that you could take some shots of me getting ready for the Oscars with Bree and Alice. Then you could sell them to whichever magazine you wanted and you wouldn't have to worry about being a pap for the night." I finished explaining and looked up to find him staring at me. He appeared to be… furious.

"Do I look poor to you, Bella?" he asked.

"What? No!" I exclaimed, a little confused.

"Just because you make a lot more money than me doesn't mean you can treat me like a charity case!" he shouted.

"I didn't mean…" I started, but he cut me off.

"If you really thought I was an amazing photographer, you would realise I am capable of getting my own work. I don't need you feeling sorry for the pathetic pap guy!" with that he got up and started walking toward the door.

"Wait, Edward…"

"I think I'd better go, now" he said and walked out the door.

A/N: Hmmm, trouble in paradise already?

Some great guesses last chapter…hint… 3 people guessed correctly…

Keep those guesses coming!


	16. Protest

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 16: Protest**

I wandered around the house for a while after Edward left, leaving three messages on his voice mail apologising and explaining that he misunderstood my intentions. I went to bed early, knowing I needed to get some sleep in order to be ready for tomorrow, but I couldn't stop my mind from replaying the entire scene over and over again.

After I had been in bed for what seemed like days, but was really only two hours, my phone beeped from the nightstand, indicating a text message.

_Sorry I overreacted… is the offer still good? E_

I replied immediately, relieved he seemed to have understood my rambling voice mails:

Of course, come over around 8. B

_OK I'll c u then… sweet dreams. E_

I finally went to sleep after that exchange and slept soundly through the night.

I woke to a loud banging sound, groaning and pulling my pillow over my head. The banging stopped after a while and I was just drifting back to sleep when the covers were suddenly ripped off me and a voice started yelling:

"You're still in bed? You only had one job to do this morning and you're still in bed?"

I slowly pulled the pillow off my head and turned to look at an irate Bree standing beside the bed, tapping her foot impatiently. I looked at the clock and yelped when I realised it was already five minutes til eight and Edward and Alice would be here any second.

I flew out of bed and into the bathroom hearing Bree hollering at me about not forgetting to wash my hair. I only stayed in the shower long enough to wash my hair and jumped back out, wrapping my hair in a towel and pulling on my Japanese silk kimono robe.

I could hear voices coming from my bedroom and one was decidedly male. Realising Edward was already here, I took a moment to calm myself before stepping out into the bedroom.

Considering there were only four people in the room, excluding myself, it seemed to be a flurry of activity. Alice was plugging in a hairdryer and curling tongs with one hand and pulling out makeup bags with the other, Edward was fiddling with his camera equipment and setting up lights, Bree was pacing around the perimeter of the room with her phone attached to her ear and Emmett was untangling wires that had headsets attached to them.

I took a deep breath, suddenly overwhelmed by the amount of activity going on around me. Alice, having heard the sound, turned and squealed, "Happy Oscars Day!" Hearing the outburst, the others turned to look at her and in turn noticed that I was there.

"Hey, B…nice look you've got going on there." Emmett winked and I rolled my eyes in response.

"Good morning Em, Alice," I said, turning to face Edward.

He had put his camera equipment down on the bed and walked slowly toward me. He stopped only a few inches away from me and placed his hands gently on my hips.

"I'm sorry about last night…I…" I cut him off by placing my fingers against his lips.

"Hush, it's fine, you're here now and that's all that matters." I said, smiling softly at him.

He nodded and I removed my fingers, standing on my toes and kissing him passionately.

"Get a room!" Emmett shouted form behind us, chuckling at his own joke.

I cocked an eyebrow at him, "This is my room, Em…" I responded.

"Oh yeah… should we ah leave?" he asked seriously, to which Edward and I laughed.

"No, Em. She has to start getting ready." Alice answered, then turned to me, "Now, you, sit!" she commanded.

I walked casually over to her and plopped in the chair of my vanity.

"Okay, Pixie, do your magic!" I said playfully, Alice simply nodded and pulled the towel from my hair.

Edward moved around Alice as she started on my hair moving lights and snapping away, telling us to try and forget he was there, so that the pictures would turn out as natural as possible.

Bree came over after her phone call and started buffing my finger nails, painting them with a clear polish, before moving onto my toes.

Alice finished twisting my hair into the hot rollers and started on my makeup. She knew I was feeling nervous, so she chatted away constantly about inconsequential things to try and keep my mind off the day's events.

With Bree fussing over my toes and Alice making me up and chattering away, I truly did forget Edward was there. The three of us girls talked and laughed and gossiped as we normally would.

It wasn't until Alice finished my makeup and told me I could open my eyes that I remembered Edward was photographing me, as he was standing right in front of me and snapped a picture just as I opened my eyes.

He looked at the screen on the back of his camera and said, "That was a nice one, you look beautiful."

"Yeah, I'm sure I look gorgeous in my robe, with curlers still in my hair." I scoffed.

He shook his head and replied, "You'd look beautiful in garbage bags with no hair."

"Awwwwww." Alice and Bree cooed at the same time as I giggled at his cheesiness.

He took a picture of me laughing at him and then went to move the lights again. Alice turned on the curling tongs and started unrolling strands of my hair from the rollers. She ran her fingers lightly through the curls and then chose random pieces to twirl around the curling tongs, spraying each section with enough hairspray to make sure it lasted right through the night.

When she was finished, she pinned random sections back away from my face and sprayed me with even more hairspray, before declaring me finished.

"Now, boys out of the room, we need to get her dressed!" Alice demanded.

"Damn… you two are dressing her… are you sure we can't stay?" Emmett wiggled his eyebrows at us.

"Out. Out. Out!" Alice yelled pushing him out of the room. Edward quickly packed up his equipment and told me he was going to change into his tux in the spare room and then take some shots of me coming down the staircase in my gown.

Bree and Alice carefully helped my step into my gown, after I had put my undergarments on. Alice zipped me into the dress while Bree moved around me, straightening sections of the gown and placing my hair just so.

Alice sprayed mists of perfume into the air and made me walk through it and then packed my clutch, while explaining what she was putting in it.

"Phone, Lipstick and gloss, perfume, sewing scissors, in case you get a loose thread, a mini hairspray, in case it feels like its falling and extra bobby pins."

"Okay," I replied, "I think I'm good."

"Bell, you are so much more than good. If you don't get on every single best dressed list, I will personally hunt down the fashion critics and hurt them!"

Bree and I laughed at the seriousness in her voice and Bree informed me that everything was set and the car was on its way. She went out to make sure Edward was ready, before I left the room. Once we got the all clear I walked out of the room and started down the stairs.

I could hear Edward's camera clicking, but I didn't dare look at him, for fear of falling down the stairs in my heels. Once on the ground floor, I looked up at Edward, Thanking God that I hadn't tried to look up while going down the stairs, as I surely would've fallen to my death.

Edward in a tux was breathtaking. Seriously, I could hardly breathe looking at him in it. After a minute I realised the room was completely silent, the clicking had stopped. I looked up at Edwards face curiously, and realised he too was hardly breathing while looking at me. Internally I smiled smugly, but outwardly, I simply cleared my throat quietly, not wanting to disturb the silence of the room.

He looked up at me and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare, but you have to be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

"I smiled back at him, "Don't apologise, I was staring at you, too. You look so handsome."

He leaned in to kiss me, when Alice burst in the room screaming, "Nooooo!"

We broke apart immediately and I asked her what was wrong.

"You'll ruin her lipstick!" she scolded.

"Alice, you scared the shit out of me! I thought something was seriously wrong!" Edward exclaimed.

"Ruined lipstick is serious." She admonished seriously.

"Okay, I'm just going to pack up my equipment, before we go." He said, shaking his head and walking out the door.

Jacob had arrived while I was dressing, to escort me to the award, so Emmett could be Rosalie's date. He walked out of the kitchen eating a sandwich and complimented me on my dress.

My phone beeped from the clutch Alice had packed for me. I dug it out and read the text message, the breath leaving me in a whoosh.

_I'll be seeing u real soon bitch. Ur about 2 get whats coming 2 u ;-) xoxoxoxo_

Jacob was immediately at me side, snatching the phone from my hand and reading the text. Edward walked in from outside just in time to grab me around the waist as my knees buckled.

"Shit!" Jacob exclaimed as Edward said "What happened?"

They got me sitting down as Jacob explained to Edward, Alice and Bree about the text. He called Emmett and I could hear them discussing my not attending the awards.

"No!" I shouted "This prick will not dictate my life… there is a chance I am going to win an Oscar tonight! A fucking Oscar! I am not going to stay home and cower in a corner… the stalker can go fuck himself!"

Everyone stared at me, having never heard me go off like that.

"Okay, she's right. Let's get ourselves together, and go to the Oscars people!" Alice declared, trying her hardest to sound chipper.

Edward looked at me questioningly, but I just stood up and began walking toward the door. He caught up to me quickly and took my hand, opening the door for me. Jacob went to talk to the driver as both Alice and Bree stopped to hug me and wish me luck.

Edward, Jacob and I got in the car and a feeling of dread settled itself into the pit of my stomach. I had the most awful feeling that the stalker was going to show up tonight.

**A/N: Next up: the Oscars!**

**Any new theories? Will the stalker show up?**

**Thanks for continuing to read & review guys!**


	17. Prize

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 17: Prize**

Edward was fidgeting next to me, running his fingers through his hair and bouncing his leg up and down. The next time he attempted to grab at his hair, I took his hand and laid it in my lap giving him a questioning look.

"Sorry." He said and I waited for him to continue. "It's just… I've never really been on this side of the camera before. I'm a little nervous."

I smiled softly at him, "I am on this side of the camera every day, trust me, it's a piece of cake. You just stand there and look pretty."

"Pretty?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Well, I'll look pretty and you can look handsome, okay?"

He brought my hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back of it, "Okay, sounds good. Now that I think about it, no one will be looking at me anyway, standing next to you."

"Damn straight." Jacob muttered under his breath and I shot him an angry glare.

"Are you all set for tonight, Jacob?" I asked him, trying not to let my nerves show.

He tapped the earpiece in his ear and nodded, "Yep. I have instant communication with Emmett if I need it and you won't be out of my sight all night."

"Okay." I replied and turned to stare out the window. After a moment I felt Edward's hand land on my thigh and give a little squeeze. I glanced over to him and he looked down at my leg pointedly, I followed his gaze and realised I was now the one bouncing my knee as anxiety crept in.

"I guess you're not the only one who's nervous." I whispered to him, smiling sheepishly.

"You'll do great, Baby. I have no doubt you'll win, you were really incredible in that movie!" he assured quickly, mistakenly assuming I was nervous about the awards. It was the first time he had called me 'Baby' however and the endearment made me smile sweetly at him.

We joined the long line of cars slowly creeping along the road leading to the red carpet and Jacob suddenly started talking quietly into his cuff. I tried to tune out what he was saying, not really wanting to know, but once he was finished he explained:

"Em was just checking in, seeing where we were and making sure the mics worked okay. He's about five cars ahead of us with Rosalie."

I simply nodded and continued looking out the window, my fingers laced with Edwards sitting in my lap. Eventually we were the next car to go and I squeezed Edwards hand as I looked over to him. I expected him to be looking nervous still, but I was wrong, he had a stoic expression plastered on his face as he looked back at me. As we made eye contact, though, his trademark crooked smirk appeared and I immediately felt warmth travel across my cheeks, causing him to chuckle lightly.

We got to the head of the line and Jacob stepped out of the car first, quickly doing a visual check of the immediate area and telling Emmett we were here. He nodded back to us and Edward got out of the car, turning back and extending his hand to me. I smiled at him and he winked, helping me out of the car and lacing our fingers together as soon as I was standing at his side.

The camera flashes started up immediately and my name was being called from a million different directions. I leaned into Edward and told him to ignore it; we would pose for photos further along the carpet.

We slowly started to make our way along the carpet, stopping to chat with various co stars and well wishers and eventually got asked to do an interview with Entertainment Tonight. I walked over to the platform and waited until the interviewer finished speaking with another actress in my category. Once finished, she gave me a huge fake smile and we air-kissed before I made my way up to be interviewed.

They asked all the obligatory questions, who was I wearing? Was I excited? Did I enjoy making the movie? And then I was back with Edward and posing for the photographers again.

"How the hell do you do this all the time?" he asked in my ear at one point.

"It's just part of the job." I sighed, looking over my shoulder as another camera flashed.

Just then a commotion erupted in front of us, as someone rushed forward toward the rope and leapt over it onto the red carpet, landing just a foot away from me.

Suddenly people were shouting and security was rushing forward, but Jacob appeared from nowhere and tackled the guy to the floor, pinning him under his weight, while simultaneously speaking into his cuff.

Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me away from the pandemonium, just as Emmett appears on my other side and put his hand on the small of my back, ushering me towards the doors.

We got inside and Emmett started furiously speaking into his own cuff as Edward pulled me over to a corner and wrapped his arms comfortingly around me as I hid my face in his chest and attempted to get my emotions under control.

After a moment he pulled back and asked if I was alright.

"I think so," I said, trying to take deep breaths, "What just happened? Where did Em go?"

"He went out to speak with security and Jacob." Rosalie said, steeping around Edward giving me a fierce hug.

"Hey Rose, sorry I stole your date." I joked weakly.

She rolled her eyes and greeted Edward, asking how the photo shoot had gone that morning. We filled her in on the details and I was thankful to have something trivial to chat about while we waited for Jacob and Emmett to get back.

We didn't have to wait long, as they entered together only a few minutes later.

"What happened was it him? The stalker?" I asked quickly.

"Nah, B. It was just some punk kid, looks like the stalker paid him to make a scene out there." Emmett replied.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Well, his story is that he was approached by someone earlier this afternoon, who said they would pay him five grand to jump the rope at the Oscar red carpet. He's a kid, just seventeen, so five grand is too much to pass up, you know." Emmett explained.

"Does he know who the stalker is?" I asked.

"No, but he is giving the description to the Police and security, now. Don't worry, B, the security guards are on alert and no one gets into this building without them knowing about it. And me and Jake will be here with you all night."

"Alright." I said, still trying to regain my composure.

Jacob looked pointedly at Emmett and raised his eyebrows and Emmett shook his head minutely. I realised they thought the exchange had gone unnoticed, so I asked what it was about.

"What now? You might as well just tell me." I asked, exasperated.

Emmett glared at Jacob for a second, before turning to look at me, "It's nothing, B. Nothing that can't wait, anyway. This is your night, let's go get you a fancy statue!"

We all laughed a little at his outburst and started making our way into the theatre.

It was a few hours later when my category was finally announced. I gripped Edward's hand tightly in mine while trying to keep a calm façade in place, for when the cameras zoomed in on me.

They announced all the nominees and then said those fateful six words that I never would have dreamed I would hear: "The Oscar goes to… Bella Swan!"

The crowd erupted into applause and as I stood I turned to look at Edward who was beaming at me with such pride in his eyes that I couldn't help but lean in and kiss him sweetly, before hugging my co stars and making my way up to the podium.

I took my statue and gave the obligatory thankyous: the cast, producers, writers, director. Then I got to the personal thankyous: Angela, Alice, and Bree. The last sentence I spoke was not part of the speech I had prepared, but I knew I had to acknowledge him: "And lastly I would like to thank Edward, you really did prove me wrong."

I couldn't see him well due to the lights shining brightly in my face, but judging from the enthusiastic embrace I received when I returned to my seat, I could tell he appreciated the gesture.

The awards finished and I met up with Jacob, Emmett and Rosalie in the foyer to discuss the after party. We decided that since we could all comfortably fit in one limousine, that we would travel together, so I could have Emmett and Jacob with me, just in case.

We were pulling away from the theatre when Emmett started lecturing everyone on keeping an eye out for the stalker. He said that he had spoken with the police during the awards and gotten the description of the stalker from the kid who jumped the rope.

"B, there is something we need to tell you before we get to the after party…" Emmett started before Jacob cut him off.

"I wanted to tell you before." He sulked.

"It wasn't important before," Emmett snapped impatiently, "But, seeing as we need to keep an eye out tonight, it is vital that everyone knows…"

"What?" I asked cautiously.

"The person that paid off that kid… It was a woman."

**A/N: Ooooh… who could it be?**

**Early update…hooray! So many people asked for the update to be quick, so I found a little spare time and knocked it out because I appreciate my readers sooooooooo much! Thanks for continuing to read and review!**


	18. Psycho

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

**Previously:**

_"It wasn't important before," Emmett snapped impatiently, "But, seeing as we need to keep an eye out tonight, it is vital that everyone knows…"_

_"What?" I asked cautiously._

_"The person that paid off that kid… It was a woman."_

**Chapter 18: Psycho**

"But… that doesn't make any sense. The phone calls to my cell were all made by a guy." I couldn't get my head around this turn of events.

"I know." Emmett said, "The detectives, Jacob and I think maybe two people are working together?" We're not entirely sure at this point."

"Great… so what you're really saying is that you've got no fucking clue who is after her?" Edward snapped.

I grabbed his hand as he turned to me and said quietly, "Maybe you shouldn't go to the party baby, I mean, what if something happens?"

"He's probably right, B. The party might not be the best idea at the moment." Emmett agreed.

"Look… while I appreciate your concern, I just won an Oscar. There is no way I am letting the god damn stalker or stalkers or whatever stop me from celebrating this achievement. I am going to the party!" I said, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Alice, Jasper and Bree are meeting us there, so there will be extra eyes on the lookout. Don't worry guys, it will be fine." I continued with my best acting skills. On the inside I wasn't feeling so brave, that feeling I had in the pit of my stomach when we left my house earlier that afternoon, was back with a vengeance. Dread.

The boys finally conceded and we made our way into the party. Emmett and Jacob had a long chat with the guards at the door and reassured me that the only way into the party was if your name was on the guest list and you had photo ID to prove it.

I spotted Jasper fairly quickly, his lanky frame making his shaggy blonde head stand a little higher than those around him. I dragged Edward, who hadn't let go of my hand since we were in the car, over and as soon as they saw us, Alice let out a squeal (so high I'm certain dogs' four towns over heard it) and launched herself at me.

"Bellllllllllaaaaaaaa! I can't believe you won! I mean… I can believe 'cos you're amazing…. But you won a freaking Oscar… Oh My God, my best friend is an Oscar winner. Now when I introduce you to someone I'm gonna have to say 'Oscar-winner' Bella Swan!" She half-shouted, half-slurred as she embraced me.

"Wow, someone started the party early!" I exclaimed, one eyebrow raised in Jasper's direction.

"She insisted on celebrating when you won… with a glass of champagne… or five" Jasper explained.

"I was just so happy for you!" she pouted in defence.

"Okay, okay… where's my champagne?" I mock-pouted, imitating Alice.

We giggled when, as if on cue, a waiter walked past with a tray of glasses. Edward grabbed two and handed one to me, while Alice grabbed two just for herself.

"Where's Bree?" I asked after a moment, knowing she had planned on riding with Alice and Jasper.

"Um… she came with us, so she's around somewhere, I guess." Jasper shrugged.

"Yeah, I haven't seen her since we got here." Alice responded.

"Oh well, I'm sure I'll catch up with her later." I said.

We only got to stand around chatting to each other for about another five minutes, before a crowd of people noticed I was there and descended to 'congratulate' me. I barely knew some of them, but I stood there and graciously accepted their best wishes. Edward remained at my side the entire time, occasionally passing me glasses of champagne and never once letting go of my hand.

Jacob was always there, too. Hovering on the outside of the circle, eyeing everyone who got within reaching distance of me. Even though he could be annoying at times, I appreciated him in that moment for doing his job and looking out for me.

I could see Emmett and Rosalie and Jasper and Alice out on the dance floor, but I still hadn't caught sight of Bree, all night.

When the crowd finally broke apart, Edward leaned down to my ear and whispered that he needed to go to the bathroom.

"That's fine, Edward, go." I smiled up at him.

"I don't want to leave you by yourself." He worried.

"I'm okay. Jacob is right there." I motioned with my head to where Jacob was standing only about three feet away.

"Alright, go stand next to him, until I get back okay?" I nodded and he leaned over to kiss me quickly before he walked away.

As I turned to stand closer to Jacob, Bree suddenly appeared and dragged him a few more feet away from me as she started talking to him animatedly about something. At almost that same moment, I felt a hand grab my upper arm and spin me around.

"Bella, congratulations." James sneered at me.

I immediately started looking around for someone to intervene, feeling exceedingly uncomfortable in his presence.

"Thank you, James." I replied curtly.

"Who are you looking for?" he asked, watching me eyes dart around the room. "Your boyfriend?" He laughed, "It would appear he… and all your little friends, actually… are otherwise engaged at the moment. So why don't you just stand here and chat with me for a while."

I gulped, the feeling of dread worming its way up my throat. "What did you want to chat about, James?" I asked, uneasily.

"How about we start with the fact that you and I both know you didn't deserve that award."

"Well the Academy, obviously think differently." I replied with faux-confidence.

He cocked his head to the side and blatantly checked me out from head to toe and back again, making me shiver involuntarily.

"Hmmm, which one of those old guys did you do?" he asked raising an eyebrow, "I'd definitely be interested in finding out if fucking you was worth an Oscar." He reached out a finger to touch my face and I backed away instantly. He tightened his grip on my arm and said "Now, now, let's not make a scene, Sweetheart."

"James, please Let go of me." I pleaded, tears starting to form in my eyes.

"No, I don't think so. See, you and me are going to take a little walk out the back door, so I can congratulate you on your 'performance' properly." James grinned at me, maniacally.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, I don't care how much of a scene it makes." I spat back at him, wrenching my arm from his grip and beginning to frantically search for any of my friends again.

He stepped forward and I stepped back, not realising until that moment that he had been slowly backing me into the wall. I was trapped, he leaned forward so that his body was pressed against me and I couldn't move. I decided to try and buy some time, hoping someone would notice what was going on.

"Why did you do it, James? Is it because I yelled at you in London?"

"Ha!" he laughed "You think I care about that? I can have any girl I want, I don't need you."

"Well that's not entirely true is it?" I asked. "You can't have me."

He growled so loud I felt his chest grumble. "I've seen who you've been slumming it with lately… I bet you'd be willing to change your mind for me now."

I just shook my head and tried to push myself even further into the wall.

"All that is beside the point, anyway. It's not why I did it… well not entirely anyway. I am so sick of you getting so much credit. You never get a bad review, the critics love you and now this: A fucking Oscar nomination! And you won! I am a better actor than you will ever be, the only thing you have that I don't is a set of tits." He finished his tirade in a rush and I realised just how nuts this guy actually was.

I was starting to get really scared. I knew we were in a room full of people, but I wasn't sure that would mean anything to him at that point, he had gone over the edge.

I wondered where Edward was, he was only going to the bathroom what was taking him so long? And where was Jacob, was he so distracted by Bree that he didn't realise I was missing? I realised I needed to get away from James and get away fast.

"James, who is or is not a better actor, is a matter of opinion. I don't think my gender has anything to do with it." I said in my calmest voice, while subtly looking for a way to get out from under him.

"Bullshit! You whores can spread your legs and get anything you want form the big shots around here. Guys don't exactly have that option!" He was so close his breath was hitting my ear as he spoke.

"I'm not sure what to say to you here, James, but I think you're a great actor." Okay, so maybe I was laying it on a little thick, but I had to try.

He laughed and shook his head, "I'm not stupid. I know you're trying to get me to let you go… well that isn't going to happen." He reached into his jacket pocket and started pulling something out.

I was frozen with fear, I couldn't move or breathe. All of a sudden James was abruptly wrenched away from me. I looked up to see Edward punching James repeatedly in the face. Emmett ran over and pulled Edward off James, while Jacob dragged James to his feet.

There was a lot of shouting going on but I couldn't make out any of it. I felt arms surround me from both sides and I tensed up for a moment before I heard Rose's voice whispering in my ear "Shhh, it's alright." Over and over.

It wasn't until I felt Alice's tiny hands wiping the tears from my eyes that I realised Rose had been shushing me because I was crying hysterically.

Someone must have called the police, because the detectives were suddenly there, hand cuffing James and taking him away.

Then Edward was there, right in front of me, I pulled out of Rose and Alice's arms and buried my face in his chest. He wound his arms tightly around me and started rocking me slowly. I started to calm down after a while and he whispered in my ear, "Let's get you out of here."

I clung onto him all the way out to the car and climbed into his lap once we were settled in the back of the limo. Everyone else piled in after me, having decided to crash at my place for the night, so I wouldn't be alone.

"B, the police asked if you could go down and make a formal statement in the morning." Emmett said solemnly.

When I didn't respond, Edward added, "I have to make one too, so I can come with you okay?"

I nodded from my place on his chest.

"Ummm, Bella? I know this isn't the best time, but James didn't tell you who his accomplice was, did he?" Jacob asked quietly, earning hard stares from everyone else in the car.

I sat up straight on Edward's lap and looked right at Jacob, "What?" I asked, slightly confused.

"The woman?" Jacob pressed, "Did he tell you who it was?"

**A/N: Well done to all those who guessed James! But it's not over… who is the woman?**

**And… any guesses on the motive for the woman? James was a bit of a psycho woman-hater… but what is the mystery-woman's motive?**


	19. Passion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters**

**Chapter 19: Passion**

I went through everything James had said, while he had me pinned up against the wall, in my head and came up blank.

"No, he didn't tell me… I'm so stupid… I should've tried to get him to tell me."

Edward pulled me a little tighter to his chest, "Don't be silly, he wouldn't have told you anyway."

"Edward's right," Emmett chimed in, "He might have gotten even angrier if he knew we already knew about the accomplice. Do you think you can tell us what happened?"

I nodded and slowly told everyone what had happened. How he cornered me and I looked for someone to help, but no one was paying attention. How he backed me into the wall before I even realised and how I tried to keep him talking and look for a way to escape.

"He must've been waiting for the right moment, because it was less than a minute after Edward left for the bathroom that he appeared." I finished.

"Yeah," Edward began, "Just enough time to wedge a chair under the bathroom door handle and make his way over to you."

"Is that what happened? I was wondering what was taking you so long."

"I'm so sorry baby, I should never have left your side."

"Speaking of never leaving her side… where the hell were you?" Rose demanded, pointing a finger at Jacob.

"I was talking with Bree, I had my back to what was going down. I didn't even realise Edward had _left_ her." Jacob criticized.

"Okay, okay, let's not play the blame game. James would've found a way to get to me somehow. I'm alright, let's just leave it at that for now." I pleaded.

Everyone murmured their agreement and we were all silent for the next few minutes. Emmett was, not surprisingly, the first to speak.

"Well, I'm crashing at yours tonight, B. Can me and Rosie use one of the guest rooms?"

"Yeah… me and Jasper too? I don't want to leave you just yet." Alice added.

"Sure," I agreed, "Bree, you might as well use the other room, if you want to stay the night, too."

She simply nodded and continued staring out the window. Tonight's events seemed to be weighing heavily on her mind. Edward sighed into my hair and I snuggled further into his chest for the rest of the ride home.

We all trudged slowly toward the porch, exhaustion taking us over. Edward slowed his steps as we reached the door and I turned to look questioningly at him over my shoulder.

"Well," he cleared his throat nervously, "I guess this is goodnight."

"What do you mean?" I asked my tiredness giving way to confusion.

"I guess I'll be going now."

"Oh… you don't want to stay?" I asked, rejection making its way forcefully into my mind.

"No, I mean, I do?" He stopped for a minute and took a deep breath, "You said Bree could stay in the last guest room, so I just assumed…" he trailed off.

I smiled softly at him, "Silly Edward… I have a king-sized bed you know…" I trailed off, too, only much more suggestively.

His answering grin was glorious as he retook my hand and led me inside. Everyone had already made their way to their respective rooms by the time we got inside. We started up the stairs and were almost at the top when Jacob called out from the bottom.

"I really am sorry about tonight, Bella."

"I know Jacob."

"I checked all the alarms; everything's all locked up for the night. No one else is leaving, right?" he asked, clearly referring to Edward.

"Nope, everyone is in for the night. Good night Jacob." I said raising an eyebrow in his direction, almost daring him to continue. He took the hint, merely nodding and heading off toward the kitchen.

I left Edward in my room while I took a quick shower, taking off my heavy make-up and washing the products out of my hair.

When I re-entered my room, wearing my usual sleeping attire, black tank and boy shorts, I almost died. Edward was sitting on the edge of my bed, wearing only his black boxer briefs. He noticed me staring and cleared his throat.

"Is this okay? I didn't have anything else to wear to bed…"

"It's fine." I cut him off quickly and crawled into my side of the bed. He quickly followed and turned to face me. I moved a little closer to him and he took the cue to scoop me into his arms.

"I don't know what I would've done if anything happened to you tonight, baby." He whispered into my hair.

"Shhhh" I hushed him and tilted my face up to his, "I'm fine." I whispered against his lips, before pushing my own forcefully against his.

He groaned into my mouth and began to pull away, "We shouldn't," he said between kisses, "After what happened…"

I cut him off again, "Exactly after what happened, I need to feel safe and wanted and normal… please." I asked softly.

He nodded and pressed his lips back to mine. This time the kiss was softer, my lips yielding to his as he tangled one hand into the back of my damp hair. I mimicked his movements, pulling slightly at the hair on the nape of his neck. He groaned lightly as I opened my mouth to him and our tongues began moving in sync with each other.

I rolled onto my back and brought him with me. His body landing between my open thighs, this time the groan came from my throat as he bucked his hips lightly. His hands moved from my hair and down to my waist where his fingers toyed with the hem of my tank, occasionally brushing the skin of my stomach.

He gripped my tank in his fist and started pulling it up, he paused, looking at me for affirmation. I put my hand over his fist and helped him pull it off. He gasped as he realised I wasn't wearing a bra and stared at my bare breasts for a minute before uttering, "Perfect."

Both of his hands were cupping my breasts as he run his thumbs over my hard nipples again and again. I was writhing in pleasure and gripped the back of his head to bring his mouth back to mine. He pulled his mouth from mine and began trailing hot, wet kissed down my jaw and throat, past my collar bones and to the swells of my breasts. Suddenly his mouth was completely covering my left nipple, I cried out as he licked and sucked the hard peak, before moving on to the right one.

I could feel him hard and wanting, pressing against my thigh, so I dragged my hands out of his hair and down his back. I pulled my hands around to his hard stomach and followed the trail of hair to the top of his boxers and slipped my fingers under the waistband.

As the tips of my fingers brushed across his head, he let out a loud moan, the vibrations against my nipple shooting straight down to between my legs. I moved my hand further into his boxers and gripped his shaft in my hand, pumping slowly. His mouth moved back up my neck and he started placing tiny kisses along my jaw.

"So…_kiss_…good…_kiss_…baby…_kiss_" he was murmuring against my skin. He pumped into my hand a few times and then reached down to my wrist and pulled my hand right out of his shorts. I pouted and he smirked, getting off the bed and pulling his boxers over his hips and down to his ankles where he kicked them off.

And there he was, standing before me, completely naked. I stared at his prominent erection, becoming incredibly even more turned on, when he reached down and stroked it a few times. He smirked at my reaction and stalked toward the bed; he crawled up between my legs and gripped the sides of my panties. He pulled them down my legs at an excruciatingly slow pace and threw them over the side of the bed.

Edward pulled my knees apart slightly and stared for a moment, before whispering "Perfect" again. I was dripping wet and about to beg for him to just touch my already, when he stretched out one finger and dragged it up between my folds. I shivered and moaned as he added another finger and repeated the motion before thrusting the two fingers inside me.

My hips arched straight up off the bed and I started panting as his fingers kept going faster. In, out, in, out and when he added his thumb to my clit I almost lost it. I was chanting 'Edward, Edward, Edward…' over and over. He removed his thumb and I was about to protest when I felt something even better replace it. I looked down to confirm my suspicions and saw the bronze sex hair I had been dreaming of buried between my thighs. I reached down and tangled my fingers into his hair as he licked and sucked on my clit, his fingers still pumping in and out of me.

I was teetering on the edge of bliss and I didn't want to fall until he was inside of me. So I reluctantly pulled his head away and when he pouted at me as I had at him earlier I smirked and said, "I want to come with you inside of me."

His mouth dropped open and he nodded. He grabbed hold of himself and stroked a few times, _so hot, _before lining himself at my entrance. He started pushing himself in slowly and when he was about half way in I lost patience, wrapped my legs around his waist and thrust my hips. He let out o loud, "Belllllllaaaaaa," as he filled me up and I cursed under my breath. "Fuuuuck, so good, so good."

He began thrusting himself into me and I met every thrust with a lift of my hips. It wasn't long before I felt the familiar tightening of my stomach. My head was thrashing back and forth on the pillow and I was repeating, "So close, so close."

Edward snaked his hand down between us and started rubbing little circles over my clit. That did it; I crashed head first into my orgasm and moaned so loud I'm surprised no one came to investigate. Edward's thrust became jerky and he let out a forceful grunt as he came. He looked beautiful as he lost himself in the pleasure and then promptly collapsed on to my chest.

I lazily ran my fingers through his hair as we caught our breath. After a few minutes, he crawled up beside me and pulled me to lay my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around me.

I felt so safe and secure and knew there was no place in the world I would rather be. As I drifted off to sleep in his arms, I came to a startling realisation.

I was completely and irrevocably in love with Edward Cullen.

**A/N: Okay, so a bit of fluff to lighten up what's coming next… Dun, dun, dunnnnnnn!**

**I hope to post the next chapter in the next day or so (Fingers crossed).**


	20. Plea

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

** I apologise for not replying to last chapters reviews, but I thought you'd prefer the update instead!**

**Chapter 20: Plea**

I woke up the following day to the feeling of fingertips tracing up and down my spine. The feeling is so nice I don't move and pretend to sleep a little longer.

"How long are you going to lay there and let me think your sleeping?" Edward asked with a slight chuckle. His rough morning voice sounds like pure sex and I snuggled myself further into his side.

"How did you know?" I asked, my lips against his neck.

"Mmmm," he moaned, "I felt your breathing change."

I leaned my face up to his and he gave me a chaste kiss. I pouted and he said he hadn't yet brushed his teeth. He told me he had to go soon and get the proof shots from the pre-Oscars photos printed up, so he can shop them around to publications as soon as possible.

He had a quick shower in my ensuite and changes into the jeans and t shirt he was wearing when he arrived the previous morning. He gave me another chaste kiss on his way out the door and then I was alone for the first time since James cornered me. The house is quiet and I realise people are probably still asleep after the late night.

I drifted back up to my room and decided to shower again before I dressed for the day. I was loathe to wash the delicious smell of Edward off of me. I worried about his stand-offish behaviour before he left. Did he regret last night? Was he only after sex this whole time? Was it just a way to further his career?

I didn't know and I hated that I was doubting him again, but I couldn't switch my mind off. I dressed casually, knowing I had nowhere I needed to be for the day and wandered down to the kitchen.

Jacob was sitting at the bench and said good morning as I walked past.

"Good morning, Jacob. Did you get any sleep last night?" I asked, noticing the dark circles under his eyes.

"I got an hour here and there on the couch." He answered, "Its fine, all part of the job."

I thanked him and asked and was still in the house, planning on making breakfast for anyone still around.

"Uh, Bree left early, said she had some stuff to do… and I guess you know Edward left. Everyone else is still here." He answered.

"Okay." I said and got to work pulling eggs, bacon, bread and fresh fruit out to make a big breakfast.

Emmett was the first to emerge from upstairs, sniffing the air appreciatively as he entered the kitchen.

"I knew I smelled bacon, mmm mmm." He said as he snatched a piece from the plate I was filling.

Rose followed shortly after and plopped herself down on Emmett's lap at the table.

"Coffee?" She asked sleepily.

I pointed to the freshly brewed pot on the counter and she whined. Realising she had to get up again. Jacob rolled his eyes and got a cup for her and Emmett.

Alice and Jasper plodded down the stairs as I finished putting the last plate on the table and we had a breakfast full of funny stories, jokes and laughs. My troubles were forgotten for a short time. But not for long, as we were clearing the table, Emmett's phone rang and even though we only heard his side of the conversation, it was clear he was talking to the police.

"_Still won't confess?...any leads?...plea deal?...Okay I'll let her know… yeah I'll be down in a few."_

He turned to look at me, but I let him know I knew what he was going to say, "I know, he's not talking."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go down to the station and see if the plea deal the DA is working on comes through. I think that'll get him to crack." He added.

I simply nodded and watched him go upstairs to get dressed.

Alice and Rosalie offered to stay with me for the day, but I declined, wanting some time alone with my thoughts.

"Well, I'm gonna hang around until Emmett gets back." Jacob said, I opened my mouth to argue with him, but he cut me off. "No arguing, you are not staying at home by yourself."

"Okay," I conceded, realising I would probably feel safer with him around, "But only if you promise to take a nap on the couch."

"Fine."

Everyone left shortly after that, Rose and Alice wrapped me in a fierce group-style hug and said they would call later. Emmett said he'd call as soon as he knew anything, and thanked Jacob for staying with me.

Once everyone was gone, I told Jacob I was going to take a nap, having gotten up too early that morning to walk Edward out. Lying in bed, I was still really worried about the way Edward had acted that morning, and decided to send him a quick text.

_Hey how r the pics looking? B_

I waited twenty minutes before I realised he wasn't going to reply. _He's just busy_, I told, or rather tried to convince, myself. I heard the gate buzzer go off from down stairs and jumped out of bed and ran to the door, thinking it might be him.

I was almost to the bottom of the stairs when I heard Jacob open the door and as I rounded the corner I was disappointed to see Bree standing there.

"I had it in when I went to bed last night, but when I got home this morning it was gone." Bree was explaining to Jacob.

"What's gone?" I asked, making my presence known.

"Bella!" Bree gasped, _odd reaction, _I thought, "Jacob told me you were sleeping. I didn't wake you did I?"

_Hmmm, maybe she was worried I would be mad at her. _"No, no. I wasn't sleeping yet. What did you lose?"

"Oh… my earring. I remember it being there when I washed my face last night, but when I got home this morning it was gone. I'm hoping it fell out while I was sleeping."

"Okay, come on I'll help you look." I turned to Jacob, "Have you had a sleep yet?" I asked him.

"No." he answered.

"Well, go do that now, while Bree is here with me."

He nodded and headed off toward the living room. Bree and I turned to go upstairs and entered the guest room she slept in.

"You check the bed and I'll start looking in the bathroom." I suggested as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting through sheets and blankets.

**_*Jacob POV*_**

I wandered into the living room and dropped onto the couch, exhausted. I was asleep the minute my head hit the cushion.

I'm not sure how long I had been asleep when I heard a high pitched ringing coming from nearby. I was up on my feet in an instant, thinking it was the house alarm. As I was about to run upstairs to check on Bella and Bree I caught sight of my phone flashing from the coffee table.

_Oh, _I thought, _it was just my phone._ Slapping my forehead at my overreaction, my phone started ringing again.

"Hello?"

"_Jake, its Emmett."_

"Hey Em, any news?"

"_Yeah, the plea deal just came through. James has to name the accomplice for no jail time. I'm just waiting for him to confess now."_

"Alright, do you want me to stay on the line? Bella's okay, she's upstairs with-"

"_Hang on," _Emmett cut me off as he spoke with someone else away from the phone, _"Sorry man, fuck, you're not gonna believe this… The woman stalking Bella is her assistant, Bree."_

"Shit," I yelled, running for the stairs, "Get the police here, Bree's upstairs with Bella right now!"

**A/N: Oooooohhhhh, what's crazy Bree gonna do to Bella?**

**So, almost everyone guessed it was Bree , but no one guessed why…**

**Special teaser will be sent to those who guess her motive!**


	21. Petty

Disclaimer: I do not own twilight or any of its characters.

**Chapter 21: Petty**

"_You check the bed and I'll start looking in the bathroom." I suggested as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting through sheets and blankets. _

I searched through the bathroom with no luck. "Not in there." I announced as I walked back into the room and started helping Bree with the bed.

"So… have you heard anything from the police? Has James said anything yet?" she asked.

"Not yet. Em's down there now trying to get the DA to give some sort of deal."

"Deal?" she asked.

"Yeah, a deal for James to give up the identity of the woman he was working with."

"Oh… it must be scary…being stalked like that. _Were you_ scared, Bella?" she asked.

_She sure is acting strange today_ I thought as I started remaking the bed, having not found the earring in there.

"Sure, I guess. There were moments when I was scared." I replied.

She made her side of the bed and started looking around the nightstand. I mimicked her movements on my own side of the bed.

"I suppose I could understand why someone might stalk you." She said nonchalantly, "I mean the woman, not James. He was obviously after revenge after what happened in London."

"What?" I asked, confused by her statement. "You could _understand_?"

"Sure, there are a few reasons, I suppose." I arched a brow at her, silently asking her to continue. "I mean you're gorgeous, rich, you have a dream job and you're winning Oscars now. Someone could be simply jealous…" she trailed off before completely changing the subject, "Actually, I remember I was sitting at the sofa last night, listening to my voice mails. Would you mind having a look over there?"

I stared at her incredulously, unable to follow her train of thought. "You think it's _understandable_ for someone to make my life hell because they are jealous?" I asked.

"Hmmm, I suppose it's not to you. You wouldn't understand jealousy, never having felt it." Bree said, her head disappearing down beside the bed, I assumed to look under it for the earring.

I started feeling a little uneasy, something was off here, but I couldn't put a finger on it. I tried to sort out my thoughts logically. _Bree understands why someone could be jealous of me, she thinks I've never felt jealous, she understands my stalkers motives, she sympathises with my stalker. Oh my God…_

I came to the logical conclusion just as Bree started talking again, from down beside the bed. "Hmmm, yes jealousy would be the perfect motive… it's not the whole reason why I did it, though."

My head snapped up and around to look at her. She had come out from beside the bed and was now standing only about five feet away from me, holding a large knife at her side. She had a maniacal smile on her face and as she continued speaking, my knees gave out from beneath me and I sank down onto the sofa.

"Would you like to know why _I_ did it, Bella?"

Though terror was starting to take hold, I managed to think somewhat clearly and realised the longer I kept her talking, the longer I would have to come up with an escape plan before she used that knife.

"Okay." I replied shakily, and mentally chastised myself for showing her how scared I was.

She chuckled as she replied. "I couldn't believe you didn't recognise me at my interview. I know Angela did all the preliminary stuff, but you walked into that room and started asking me questions and the whole time I thought; any minute now, any minute and she'll realise she knows me from somewhere. But you never did, even to this day; you don't recognise me, do you?"

I furrowed my brow, trying to place her. Had I met her before, or was she simply nuts? "I don't know…" I managed to stutter out.

She chuckled again, "Of course you don't… but then, I did look a lot different back then." She looked far away for a minute, before her eyes snapped back to mine. "Awwww, you look confused, perhaps I should start from the beginning."

I nodded, trying to buy myself some time to think. She was standing directly between me and the only door to the room, and she was too close to get around. I could maybe get to the bathroom and lock myself in until Jacob came to investigate, surely he could overpower her and get the knife away.

She started moving the knife from hand to hand, keeping her eyes trained on the movement as she spoke. "We were in drama school together, you and I." I opened my mouth to question that statement, but she just kept talking, "I looked a little different then, younger, blonder… we actually performed in our first year play together. Of course, you got the lead, but I was your understudy. I watched you intently, knowing I would never be lucky enough to actually get to play that part on stage and when I said 'break a leg' as you went on stage opening night, I prayed that you actually would." She let out a little chuckle and I intervened.

"My understudy that year was a girl named Lauren." I knew I was right. I still had the program from that play in a chest in my closet.

"Wow… you actually remember. Well, that was me I go by Bree now, it's actually my middle name, Lauren Bree Mallory. Anyway, do you remember what happened to Lauren?" she asked.

I wracked my brain trying to remember, Lauren wasn't really in my circle of friends, so while I vaguely remembered she didn't graduate with us, I couldn't remember why.

"Ummm," I stalled, trying to buy some more time. I was praying Jacob would come in at any moment, but I also knew he didn't have any reason to check on us. "Well, she… I mean you? You were still there when I took some time off, but I don't remember seeing you after I returned. Did you leave while I was away?"

"Yep, right after your mother died." I winced at the harshness of her answer, wondering what she was gaining by bringing Renee into the conversation. "Oh yes, I know all about it. Poor Bella Swan, her mother was killed by a crazy pap… blah, blah, blah. There's another side to this story, though."

She was looking at me expectantly, but I wasn't sure what she wanted form me, so I just tried to keep her talking. "Okay?"

"That pap… do you know his name, Bella?" she asked.

"Marcus Knight." I responded immediately. I could never forget the name of the man who killed my mother.

"Marcus Knight is my father. He was only 'papping' to pay for drama school for me. He knew it was my dream, that I'd never be happy doing anything else. So, he did whatever he could to help pay the tuition. Being a pap paid the best money, so that's what he did… for me."

"I didn't know…I" I began, not really knowing what I was going to say.

"Of course you didn't!" She suddenly snapped. "I didn't go to the trial because I knew he would be sent to jail and I would have to drop out of school! I was so furious at you, how dare you send my father to prison… I needed him to pay the bills. I needed him to support me, that's what father's are supposed to do. So then I started temping, taking whatever jobs the agency gave me, which is where I heard about you needing an assistant…"

She started walking toward me and I knew I was going to have to fight her to get out of this situation, so I stood up and braced myself. She stopped about a foot away from me.

"You ruined my life and now I'm going to ruin yours." She said menacingly.

"Wh…wh…wh…what are you going to do to me?" I stuttered out.

"Well, I think I'll cut up that pretty face of yours. You won't get much work looking like you ran through a window, will you?" she cackled, launching herself at me.

I wasn't ready for the stack and stumbled back a little, the sofa tipping form our joined weight, we both rolled onto the floor and I tried to run for the door, but she grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked, so I fell right back to the floor. She slashed the knife in my direction and I rolled out of the way just in time. We both scrambled to our knees, but Bree was faster and she lunged at me, just as I was about to jump to my feet.

There was a sudden searing pain that ripped through my shoulder and I knew immediately that I had been stabbed. _Bree stabbed me_, I thought as I felt my shirt getting wet. I looked down and saw the blood swelling from my shoulder to my chest and down my arm.

I heard a bang and the last thing I saw before I blacked out was Jacob, pulling the knife out of Bree's hand.

It was covered in my blood.

**A/N: FFn wouldn't let me reply to reviews this week :-(**

**Next chapter should post soon…**

**Please leave a review… thx!**


	22. Pain

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters

**Chapter 22: Pain**

An incessant beeping woke me up, but my eyes felt so heavy that I couldn't open them; I let the blackness overtake me again.

The next time the beeping woke me it was accompanied by voices, I could tell one was male, the others female, but I couldn't make out any words. Once again I fell into oblivion.

The beeping woke me once more and this time, along with the voices, female only this time, I could feel someone holding my hand. I struggled against the blackness that was creeping up, wanting to know what was going on. I finally managed to crack one eye and gasped at the pain in my head the lights in the room caused.

"Did you hear that?" "Is she awake?" Two female voices said at the same time.

"Bella, can you hear us? Are you awake?" One of the voices continued, I was fairly certain it was Rosalie. I opened my mouth but I couldn't get any words out, so I squeezed the hand holding mine, in hopes they would get the message.

"Oh… she just squeezed my hand…I think." The other voice, definitely Alice, got the message. "I mean it was weak, but, yes she squeezed my hand. Maybe we should call the doctor?"

I continued to struggle against unconsciousness, wondering why they were calling a doctor. _What happened_, I wondered. I had a vague recollection of something happening at my house, but I couldn't get a firm grasp on it.

Suddenly a male voice I didn't recognise began talking to me: "Bella, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes for me?"

I really didn't want to open my eyes again, remembering the pain the lights had caused before, but I wanted to know where I was and what was going on, so I tried. I managed to get that same eyelid to crack a little bit and once again gasped at the pain in my head.

"That's it," the male voice urged, "I know the lights are a bit of a shock, but the blinds are closed now, so try again for me, okay?"

I forced one eye all the way open and the other eye followed automatically. I stared at the ceiling until the pain in my head subsided a little and then looked around the room.

Rose and Alice were standing on one side of the bed I was laying in; both gave me watery smiles as I looked to them. There was a familiar looking doctor on the other side of the bed and I realised I was in a hospital.

"Bella, it's nice to see you awake so soon. Do you think you can talk?" the doctor asked.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times before I made some awful squeak type sound. The doctor chuckled and held the straw form a cup of water up to my lips. I sucked down nearly the entire cup, feeling the dryness in my throat dissipate. As soon as the straw was taken away I tried speaking again.

"What happened?" I asked in a whispery voice, clearing my throat at the end.

Alice and Rose looked worriedly at each other, but it was the doctor who continued speaking, "We'll get to that in a minute, Bella. Can you tell me how you're feeling? Where does it hurt?" he asked.

It was the first time I had really taken inventory of my body since waking up and I regretted it immediately. My head was aching, one of my arms had pain shooting from my collar bone down to my fingertips and the rest of my body was stiff and sore. I relayed my various pains to the doctor and he wrote something in my chart.

"I'll get the nurse to come in with some more pain meds and if you need anything else, you let me know, okay?" he asked.

I simply nodded and waited until he left the room to talk to Alice and Rose. "What the hell happened to me? I feel like I've been in a brawl or something…" and that's when I remembered. It was like watching a movie in fast forward; I could see everything that happened, right from the first delivery up until Bree stabbing me, in a matter of seconds.

"Bree?" I asked simply.

Alice and Rose booth nodded sadly, Alice silently wiping the tears that streaking her cheeks.

"What happened?" I asked again.

"How much do you remember?" Rose asked carefully.

"The last thing I remember, Bree was stabbing me and Jacob busting in and wrestling the knife off of her." I said, still finding the whole thing hard to believe.

Rose and Alice took turns filling me in on what happened after I passed out. Once Jacob had gotten the knife off Bree, he immediately came to check on me, realising I was losing a lot of blood, he ran to the bathroom to get a towel to hold down on my wound. Emmett and the police arrived with the ambulance officer's only minutes later, but Bree was already gone.

The ambulance officers loaded Jacob and I in the back of the ambulance and brought us to the hospital, while Emmett and the police searched for Bree.

"Jacob came to the hospital? Why? Is he okay?" I rushed out; worried Bree had attacked him, too.

"He's fine, calm down." Rose said, "He just got some cuts on his hands, trying to wrestle the knife away from Bree. They needed to be stitched, that's all."

Talk of stitches reminded me of that doctor, "Who is that Doctor? Where do I know him from?" I asked.

"Dr Cullen? He was my doctor when… Royce…" Rose hinted, I didn't want her reliving that, so I merely nodded before I noticed Alice and Rose exchange a worried look.

"So, you've been unconscious for about twelve hours. The knife nicked an artery close to your shoulder and they had to take you to surgery to repair it…" Alice trailed off and I knew something was wrong.

"What aren't you telling me?" I asked.

Just then the nurse walked in with my pain meds, telling me that they would help me sleep through the night. She left soon after, telling Rose and Alice that they would need to leave in the next five minutes, as technically visiting hours were over.

Once she was gone, I looked pointedly at Alice and Rose, waiting for them to tell me what they knew. Alice cracked first.

"Well, I guess there is something you should know," she started as I felt my meds kick in, and just before I fell back into unconsciousness I heard the words that sent a shiver down my spine, "They haven't found Bree yet."

**~x~x~x~**

I woke up in the morning from the most awful dream. Bree had tracked me down at the hospital and tried to kill me again, but not before telling me she had already killed everyone I love. As I thought of Edward, I sat bolt right up and then screeched out in pain from the sudden movement.

Apparently Emmett had been asleep in the chair in the corner of my room and had jumped up and drawn his gun the moment he heard my cry.

"What is it? What's' wrong?" He asked as he lowered his gun and turned to look at me.

I smiled sheepishly at him as I carefully lay back down, "Bad dream, sorry."

"No worries… how're you feeling?"

"Like I just got stabbed by a psychopath." I deadpanned.

He frowned at me and said, "Not funny, B." he stopped and took a deep breath, "When I burst in that room, I thought you were dead. I thought we were too late." It was serious Emmett and I hated that he felt so bad.

"It's okay Em, I'm okay." I said and reached my good arm out to him. He grabbed my hand and tried to subtly wipe the tears from the corner of his eyes. I pretended not to notice.

"Anyway, I don't want you worrying about Bree. There is either a police officer or Jacob or myself outside your room every minute." At my puzzled look, he explained, "I'm assuming that's what the dream was about."

I nodded and told him about the dream. Speaking about it reminded me that I hadn't seen Edward since the morning before. I wasn't sure anyone had even told him what happened.

"Emmett, where's Edward? Does he know what happened? Has he been by?" I rushed out, worried.

"Ummmm, well… ah… maybe we should wait for Rosie to get back, or Alice…" he stuttered out, which worried me even more.

"What's going on, Em? Spit it out!" I said aggressively, sick of people tip-toeing around me.

"Okay…We've been trying to contact Edward since…what happened… and well, no one can find him."

**A/N:Oh no… did Edward have something to do with it after all? Was he just after her for the sex or the pics?**

**Theories are always welcome!**

**Also, there is only one or two chapter to go in this little fic and then an epi, just so you know!**


	23. Profess

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters

**Chapter 22: Profess**

"_What's going on, Em? Spit it out!" I said aggressively, sick of people tip-toeing around me._

"_Okay…We've been trying to contact Edward since…what happened… and well, no one can find him."_

"What do you mean no one can find him?" I asked, confused.

"Well, we've been calling and calling and his phone just keeps ringing out. I've left several voice mails and I even got an investigator buddy of mine to track down his address, he wasn't there."

I sat quietly trying to process this information and what it could possibly mean. I remembered being worried that I hadn't heard from him the morning of the incident. Had he really taken off? Was it really all about getting the shots, like I had suspected early on? Where was he?

"Okay, Em. Thanks for letting me know…" I trailed off, tears collecting in the corners of my eyes.

"Hey, don't worry…we'll keep trying, he has to be somewhere…" this time it was Emmett's turn to trail off. It wasn't like him to be less than straightforward so I instantly worried that there was something else I wasn't being told.

"Emmett, I swear to God. If you are not telling me everything I will tell Rose about the time I caught you picking your nose and inspecting what you found!" I threatened.

He looked horrified, knowing as well as I did that Rosalie despised nose pickers, "You wouldn't…would you? Please, B, you can't tell her that…" I simply rose an eyebrow in response, he continued, "Okay, well it's nothing definite, but the detectives and I are working on three possible theories. The first one is that Edward is perfectly safe somewhere, oblivious to all this happening."

"MmmHmm," I prompted for him to continue.

"The second one is that…" he paused, pleading me with his eyes to understand what he was about to say, "he has possibly been working with Bree all along."

"No!" I gasped, "No, I don't believe it, I won't believe that! What's the third possibility?" I was on the verge of sobs now, unable to believe that I had been duped like that.

Emmett's hands fluttered around my face, unsure of what he should be doing to comfort me. I glared at him through my tears, waiting for him to continue.

"The third possibility," he continued slowly, "is that Bree found him before we did."

"Oh My God…" the sobs started in earnest this time, "She has him? What if she hurts him? What if she kills him?" I was having difficulty catching my breath, sobs wracking my body.

"Shit, B. Calm down… we don't know anything for sure yet, please relax, you're gonna hurt yourself." Emmett was trying to reason with me.

The next few minutes were a daze of trying to breathe and playing out every possible scenario of what Bree could be doing to Edward. I vaguely registered a nurse heading toward me and feeling the prick of a needle, before everything slowed down and the blackness overtook me. This time, I welcomed it.

I started to come around some time later, feeling groggy and disorientated. I could hear two male voices close by but could only make out bits and pieces of what they were saying.

"_He's totally in on it… never trusted him… kill the asshole…"_ and I drifted back to sleep.

I woke again, this time much more alert, to a silent room. I tried to make sense of the words I had heard earlier and realised it must have been someone speaking about Edward. What the hell was going on with Edward? I had to try really hard not to start freaking out again when I thought of him.

_Breathe in 2, 3, breathe out 2,3…_ just as I got myself under control the door to my room opened and Jacob walked in tentatively.

"Oh, hey. I wasn't sure if you'd be awake." He began, lifting his hand and showing me the small bouquet of yellow Gerber daisies. "I bought you these…" he trailed off, placing the flowers on my bedside table.

"Thank you Jacob. How's your hand?" I asked, noticing the bandage wrapped around his left hand.

"Fine, fine. Don't worry about me." He looked unsure for a moment before continuing, "I'm so sorry, Bella. I should never have fallen asleep, I should've been more vigilant, this is all my fault…"

I cut him off, "Jacob, stop. It's not your fault, no one would've thought Bree was a threat and I told you to take a nap. I'm fine, okay?"

He shook his head, "It is my fault, though. I knew he couldn't be trusted and I should've said something to convince you."

I had no idea what he was talking about. "He? Who are you talking about Jacob? It was Bree who stabbed me."

"I mean Edward. I should have convinced you to stop seeing him, I knew there was something shady about him." He explained.

"Wait, you think Edward was in on this?" I asked, realising I shouldn't have been surprised. Jacob had some sort of weird rivalry thing going on with Edward from the moment they met.

"Of course, it's obvious. What? You think he just disappeared the moment Bree revealed herself to you? A bit too convenient…"

"No Jacob, I don't believe he disappeared. I think Bree has him!" I spat out at him, furious he would accuse Edward like this, with no proof.

"Bells, come on. Emmett told me they had to sedate you because you got so worked up over this, but seriously… you still believe that?" he asked condescendingly.

"GET OUT!" I practically screamed at him. He looked like he was about to object, but I cut him off before he could. "NOW, Jacob. Get out!"

Just then Alice came in with Jasper. "Everything okay here, darlin?" Jasper drawled out while glaring at Jacob.

"It's fine, Jasper. Jacob was just leaving… weren't you Jacob?" I asked.

Jacob rolled his eyes, "Sure, sure. Just keep up the delusion." He snarked out as he walked out of the room.

"What was all that about?" Alice worried, taking my hand and sitting beside my bed.

I explained the morning I had had to Alice and Jasper. Emmett telling me about Edward, having to be sedated and just now fighting with Jacob over Edward's alleged involvement. Alice reassured me that she did not believe Edward had anything to do with the stalking and consequent stabbing.

"I just hope he's okay, Ali. I couldn't stand it if something happened to him because of me." I said as the doctor entered the room.

"Bella, how are you feeling today?" he asked as he picked up my chart, "You had to be sedated earlier today?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I …um, I had a bit of an emotional breakdown. I'm okay now."

"What brought this on?" I wasn't sure why he was asking that, but he must have noticed my confused expression because he hurried to explain, "Just wanting to make sure it's not something that will happen again. I was hoping to send you home tomorrow."

"Oh, well. My…uh…boyfriend?" I looked to Alice for confirmation of the title, she nodded and squeezed my hand. "Yeah, my boyfriend seems to be missing. I'm just a little worried, but I'm sure he's okay." I bit my lip, trying to stop the tears from forming again, at my words.

The doctor looked confused for a moment before saying, "I can check to see if anyone has called for you, what's his name?"

"Edward. Edward Cullen." I replied.

The doctor suddenly looked worried, "I…uh… just remembered I have to be somewhere." He hurried to the door and called over his shoulder, "I'll get the nurse to come in and change your dressing."

"Was it just me or was that weird?" Alice asked looking at the door my doctor had just practically sprinted through.

"Not just you, Al. Definitely odd." I responded.

The rest of the afternoon passed by slowly. The nurse changed my dressing and brought me lunch, chicken broth and dry toast. It was awful. Alice and Jasper left not long after that, I practically had to shove them out the door to go and get their own lunch. Alice promised she would be back later.

I had a nap in the afternoon, not because I was tired, but because I was so bored and sick to death of my mind working overtime trying to figure out where Edward could be.

I was awoken by the door to my room being shoved open roughly and I stifled the scream that was working its way up my throat when I realised it was not Bree standing in the doorway. It was Edward.

He had tears streaming down his face as he looked me over and started slowly walking towards the bed. He reached out and gently stroked the back of his fingers along my cheek, whispering "I'm so sorry" over and over.

I reached for my bed control so I could sit and as soon as I was upright, I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest and started sobbing.

"Where have you been?" I choked out; face still pressed up against him.

"I'm so sorry baby, I'm so, so sorry." He kept saying, I thought he didn't hear my question and was about to repeat it, when he started talking. "I've been at my cousin's house. She has a darkroom set up over there and I was working on the shots from the Oscars morning. She lives over an hour away, so I crashed on her couch last night."

I pulled away from his chest so I could look at him, "Why didn't you answer your phone?" I asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

"Last night before I went to bed I started worrying that I hadn't heard from you, I went to get my phone to text you, and it was gone. I think I might have dropped it somewhere at your house." He explained.

"How did you find out what happened?" I asked him quietly, the tears starting again.

He wrapped his arms around me again, being careful not to jostle my bad arm, "I am so sorry that this happened to you, baby. I can't even believe Bree would do this, she always seemed so nice…" he gave me another squeeze and brushed his thumbs under my eyes, wiping my tears, "My dad tracked me down and told me you thought I was missing? I jumped in the car and drove straight down here."

"Your dad?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah, my dad. Your doctor."

It wasn't until that moment that I remembered the name of my doctor, Dr Cullen. Of course, I had been so overwhelmed by everything that had been going on, that never made the connection. I told Edward that I had no idea my doctor was his father and explained to him about Emmett's theories of where he was.

"Emmett honestly thought I was a part of the stalking?" he asked, obviously a little hurt.

"I don't think so; it was just one possibility that they had to put out there. The only one who actually believed it was Jacob." I said.

Edward scowled, "Of course he believed it."

"Anyway, I was convinced Bree had you. I was so worried that she was hurting you and…"

"Shhhh, I'm here now. I should've been here a lot earlier, I'm so sorry…" I cut him off.

"Edward I've had enough of people blaming themselves over what happened, can you please not?" I asked him.

He agreed and we talked about why he was so distant the morning after the Oscars. He admitted that he was worried about the depth of his feelings for me. That he wasn't sure if I felt the same way, if I was a serious about him as he was about me.

"I wasn't going to say anything," he began, "I was just going to see how things went for a while. But after what happened I realised I needed to tell you."

"Tell me what?" I asked softly.

Edward grabbed my face between his hands and looked me straight in the eye, "I love you, Bella."

**A/N: Awwwwwww! In love…_sigh…_**

**Thankyou so much for the reviews guys… I am desperately trying to reply to you all, but ffn is still not letting me! (Is anybody else having this problem?) Anyway, just know that I appreciate everyone who takes the time to leave me a few words!**

**One chapter left guys…**


	24. Plans

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.

**Chapter 24: Plans**

_Edward grabbed my face between his hands and looked me straight in the eye, "I love you, Bella."_

I stared at him in shock, tears welling in my eyes as I processed what he had just said.

"You don't have to say it back. I don't want you to say it back because you feel obligated. I mean, if you want… doesn't matter don't say it…" His nervous rambling made me giggle before I cut him off by putting my hand directly over his mouth.

"I love you too, Edward. I really do." I said sincerely. He placed a warm kiss on my palm, which was still covering his mouth. I pulled my hand away to find him grinning at me, I knew I was grinning just as big and we both chuckled before he placed his mouth over mine and kissed me gently.

Just as I was about to deepen it, the door opened and Alice and Rose walked in. "Oh…Edward, you're here! What happened? Where were you?" Alice breathed out in a rush as she ran forward and hugged him. Edward returned the hug awkwardly, looking over Alice's shoulder at me with one eyebrow raised. I shrugged my good shoulder and Edward and I explained where he had been and how his dad had tracked him down.

"I knew you'd be alright, I just knew it!" Alice clapped her hands excitedly.

"Have you seen Em today?" Rose asked.

"Not since this morning, why?" I replied.

"Oh, um, well…he should be here soon to give you an update. That's all." She responded somewhat suspiciously.

But, as if on cue, Emmett walked through the door at that moment. He did a double take when he saw Edward sitting on the side of my bed, holding my good hand. "Hey man, I didn't know anyone found you." He said questioningly.

Edward launched into a quick explanation, again, as to his whereabouts the past couple of days. "Oh, well, it's good to see you here." Emmett turned from Edward and looked at me, "How you feeling, B?"

"Good, better now." I said as I looked at Edward and back at Emmett.

"Well, I'm about to make your day even better…" he trailed off, beaming at me.

"What is it?" I asked eagerly, hoping they had finally caught Bree.

"So, today I went back to your house to grab a couple things I had left there and Bree attacked me…"

"What?" I screeched, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine…let me finish the story?" I nodded, "So, as I walked in the front door, she was hiding behind it and lunged at me. Apparently she thought it was you walking through the door. Anyway, she had another knife, I think it was from your kitchen, but she was no match for these guns," he held up his biceps and Rose rolled her eyes from behind him. "I pinned her down in less than five seconds and called the police. They arrived a few minutes later and took her into custody. I just came from giving my statement."

"So, that's it? She's going to jail?" I asked, unwilling to believe that it was over.

"Yep…well, there'll be a trial. You'll have to testify, I guess. But it's pretty much an open and shut case, seeing as there are multiple witnesses to her crazy-ness and James gave her up… she might even plead guilty and save us all a headache."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, contemplative, I suppose and then the door opened again. Dr Cullen walked in with my chart. "Oh, well… quite popular tonight aren't we?" he joked as he noticed all the people in the room. "Visiting hours are over in ten minutes, so you guys will have to say your goodbyes I'm afraid."

Alice, Rose and Emmett all gave me gentle hugs and left the room. Edward didn't move an inch form his place by my side, on the bed. He and his dad shared a brief look and fearing that Edward was going to be kicked out, too, I started talking.

"Thank you so much, Dr Cullen." I expressed gratefully, "For finding Edward I mean, I was so worried."

"Your perfectly welcome, Bella." He replied, "Edward's mother and I didn't even know you two were dating until we saw the Oscars… Your mother is not very pleased with you, by the way." He said as he levelled a look at Edward, who smirked sheepishly in response.

"I have good news… the physio will be in to talk to you about out-patient appointments first thing in the morning. After that, you will be discharged." Dr Cullen continued.

"Thank God!" I sighed in relief, sick of being trapped in the hospital already.

Dr Cullen chuckled and told Edward he had five minutes before he left.

"I'll take you home in the morning if you like?" Edward asked.

"Of course, that would be great." I replied.

We looked at each other in silence for a moment, before he leaned in and said 'I love you' against my lips before kissing me, not as gently as the last time. His tongue eagerly entered my mouth and tangled with mine for a few minutes, before I pulled away, breathless.

"I love you too." I said as he leaned in and kissed me one more time. We said our goodnights and he promised to be back first thing in the morning, walking out the door as slowly as possible. That night as I slept I dreamt of Edward. Not nightmares this time, but of him in a tux, waiting for me in a huge old church, at the end of an aisle.

I woke in the morning feeling excited at the prospect of going home. A nurse came in and gave me instructions for showering myself, so I could be up and dressed by the time the physio got there. I could take my sling off and shower normally, as long as I didn't use my injured arm, at all. Showering with one hand wasn't too bad, until I thought of washing my hair. I gave up on that idea pretty quickly and asked the nurse to put it in a pony tail for me.

When I came out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of comfy yoga pants and a tank, Edward was sitting on the edge of my bed waiting for me.

"Hi," I said quietly.

"Good morning," He replied, "I bought you breakfast." He gestured to a paper bag sitting on the bedside table.

I was so grateful not to be eating hospital food that I actually groaned at the sight of the croissants and scrolls he pulled out of the bag. We ate in companionable silence while we waited for the physio to show up.

"Hey guys, I'm Tyler. I'm going to be your physio, Miss Swan." Tyler started as he walked in the door. He spent the next thirty minutes explaining the things I could and could not do with my arm and gave me some basic exercises I could do at home to strengthen my shoulder. "The hospital has already set up your first few appointments, just three times a week, for now. So I'll see you tomorrow!" he exclaimed as he handed me a stack of papers and left the room.

Dr Cullen came in a few minutes later, as Edward was helping me pack the last of the items Alice had bought in for me. "You're all set to go, Bella. Is Edward driving you home?"

Edward answered for me, "Yeah, I am."

"Good. Don't forget your mother would like to speak with you, son…"

"Yeah, yeah." Edward replied with a roll of his eyes.

One hour and two phone calls to Alice and Rose, letting them know I was on my way home, later, I pulled into my driveway. Edward helped me out of the car and walked with me up to the porch, where I stopped, suddenly.

Edward stopped beside me instantly. "What's wrong?"

"I…uh…I'm not sure I can go in there…" I answered, feeling more than a little silly.

"Okay, do you want to go to my place?"

"No," I said, noticing Edward's face fall, "I mean… I can't just not go in there ever again… I just need a minute." I explained.

Edward took my good hand in his and stood next to me silently for a moment. "I'm going to be right here, you know. You don't have to do this alone."

I nodded resolutely and squeezed his hand as we made our way to the door. Once inside I looked around, surprised that nothing had changed. I'm not sure why I thought it would look any different, but I felt different going in there. I didn't feel safe in there anymore; my home was no longer my sanctuary. The thought made me inexplicably sad and as soon as the tears started running down my cheeks, Edward was there, wrapping me in a tight embrace.

"You don't have to do this, you don't have to prove anything to anyone." He said as he rocked me back and forth.

I nodded against his chest and this time when he suggested we go to his place, I readily agreed. We went up to my room, only to gather some clothes and other essentials. When I came out of the bathroom, Edward was on his hands and knees beside the bed. I was about to ask what on earth he was doing, when he produced his phone from in between the bed and bedside table. I just smiled as he took my bag and walked me downstairs.

I could tell Edward was nervous as he let me into his apartment, he was fidgeting more than usual and running his hand through his hair every other second. "It's…ah…not as nice as your place, but…um…" I cut him off with my hand against his lips again.

"It's yours, Edward… I'm sure I'll love it." I reassured him as he opened the door and motioned for me to go in first.

His place was really nice. It was decorated simply and in dark colours, blacks and greys mostly. It was a nicer version of a bachelor pad. He put my bag down in an arm chair and led me to a large sofa, where we sat together while I called Rose and Alice for the second time, to tell them of my change of plans. I didn't want them turning up at my place and worrying when I wasn't there.

When I got off the phone, Edward asked what I would like to do. I looked at him sheepishly for a moment, before asking if he could wash my hair. I bit my lip and explained why I couldn't do it myself, before he agreed wholeheartedly.

"Um, did you want to hop in the bath and I'll help you that way?" he asked.

"I was thinking you could just get in the shower with me?" I suggested. I could tell he was trying not to grin as the corners of his mouth turned up slightly and he turned around quickly to lead me to the bathroom.

Once there, he turned on the water, letting it warm up before stripping out of his clothes quickly. I stood and watched unabashedly as he turned to face me, completely naked. He stepped toward me and helped me get out of my own clothes, before gently pulling my hair free of its pony tail. His eyes raked over me from head to toe and back again and when he reached my eyes he was smirking his trademark crooked grin.

We hopped in the shower and he directed me to put my head under the spray, running his fingers through my hair as the water did its job. He shampooed it quickly and then poured the conditioner into his hand before massaging it firmly into my scalp. His fingers moving against the top of my head felt divine and I let out a quiet moan. I heard him gasp from behind me and as he took a step closer I could feel his hard length pressing against my lower back.

He rinsed the conditioner out of my hair and quickly turned me to face him. He pulled my body against his immediately and leaned down to kiss me. The kiss was full of passion and his tongue entered my mouth almost as soon as our lips touched. My moan was not quiet this time as I threw myself into the kiss with fervour.

He moaned right back at me and his hands started wandering all over my body. They started from the back of my head and trailed down my back, he palmed my ass, pushing our bodies closer together before his hands continued their exploration. They trailed up my sides and his thumbs passed over the sides of my breasts. He took a step away from me, but before I could finish my whine of protest his hands were covering my breasts. He ran his thumbs over my nipples and they tightened immediately under his touch.

His mouth left mine and began a trail down my neck, licking, sucking and nipping his way down to my collar bone. As he reached my injured shoulder, he turned his head slightly and kissed the waterproof bandage covering the wound once, twice, three times, whispering 'I'm sorry' between each kiss.

His mouth continued trailing down my chest until he reached my left nipple, taking it into his mouth without hesitation. He didn't hold back as he sucked hard and fast, using his teeth to graze the sensitive spot. I was a panting mess, rubbing my thighs together to try and create some type of friction to ease the ache between my legs.

As Edward switched over to assault my right nipple, his hand began a torturously slow path down my stomach and toward my pubic region. He stopped there and slowly ran his fingers through the small amount of hair I had there, "So sexy." He whispered against my breast.

His hand continued down and finally his fingers slipped along my wet folds. His middle finger brushed against my clit and I gasped, my legs almost buckling form the pleasure. His other hand left my breasts and wrapped around my lower back, to help keep me steady as the hand that was between my legs started a faster pace, rubbing back and forth over and over.

I was moaning continually by this stage, feeling too good to be embarrassed about it. Edward slowly lowered himself to his knees in front of me and I trembled at the thought of what he was about to do. He lifted one of my legs over his shoulder and moved his hand from my back to the bottom of my ass so I wouldn't fall, as he made one long, slow lick through my lips.

The slow pace he was setting was almost killing me, but before I could complain, he attached his mouth to my clit and began sucking it in earnest. I grabbed hold of his hair and bucked my hips into his face as he sucked and licked the hard nub. Just when I thought the pleasure could not get any more intense, he pushed tow fingers into me and started to pump them in and out in time with his sucking.

"Fuuuuuuuuck, Edwaaaaaaaaard!" I groaned out as he started bending and twisting his fingers inside of me. I came suddenly and bucked my hips furiously against his face over and over as I rode out my orgasm. He pulled his fingers out of me and stuck them into his mouth, licking and sucking my juices off of them, mumbling something about not wasting any.

He stood up quickly and kissed me furiously, my taste on his tongue turning me on once again. Just as I was about to reciprocate, the hot water turned to luke warm.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." He whispered against my lips.

I stepped out of the shower on shaky legs and Edward wrapped my in a towel, before quickly drying himself and then me. We walked, still wrapped in our towels to his room, where I let my towel drop immediately, letting him know I wasn't finished what he started in the shower.

I walked purposefully over to him and pulled the towel from his waist and pushing him onto the bed. He raised his eyebrows in question and I simply crawled up the bed and laid on my side, waiting for him. He joined me and we began kissing again straight away. This time it was me that began kissing down his jaw and neck, pausing in certain places to lick or suck the sensitive skin.

I kissed my way down his chest and stomach, dragging my tongue down the trail of hair under his belly button. He groaned loudly and shifted his hips upwards slightly as I positioned my mouth right over his cock and looked up at him.

I leaned over it and licked from base to tip, lingering there to run my tongue over the slit. I opened my mouth and took him in as far as he would go in one swoop, to which he started shouting profanities and gripped his sheets so tight in his fists I thought they would rip. His hips started thrusting into my mouth as I continued bobbing my head and alternating sucking and licking, even using my teeth to graze the underside of the head.

He suddenly pulled my mouth away and grabbed the head of his cock, panting out, "Need to be inside of you…" I nodded in response and he reached over to the bedside table to grab a condom out of the top draw. He rolled it on and I climbed over to straddle his hips.

He reached down to take hold of himself and rubbed the tip of his cock through the wetness that had gathered between my lips. He positioned himself at my entrance and I immediately started lowering myself down onto him, holding my breath as he slowly filled me.

As soon as I was lowered completely onto to him I released the breath I was holding and began rocking back and forth, my clit rubbing deliciously on his pubic bone. He grabbed my hips and started shifting me up and down his cock, thrusting up to meet my movements. Edward started grunting and growling and as his movements became more erratic, he placed his thumb against my clit and rubbed tiny circles into it, sending me over the edge with a few seconds.

"Shiiiiiiiiit, I'm Cummmmmmmming….God, Edward!" I screamed out as my orgasm rocked through my body.

Hearing his name screamed from my lips seemed to be his undoing as he grunted once and then called "Yessssssss, Belllllla!" and then stilled underneath me.

I collapsed onto his chest and he wrapped his arms loosely around my back as we caught our breath. He rolled us to our sides and slipped out of me slowly, pulling off the condom and walking to the bathroom to dispose of it. When he returned, he pulled me into his arms and moved the sheet that was twisted around us, so that it covered us lightly.

"I think I'm going to sell the house." I said quietly into his chest.

"If you think you need to, baby." He replied.

"Mmmm, I'm sure we'll be able to find one we like together…"

"We? Together?" he asked, confusion lacing his tone.

"Yeah… well I don't want to leave your side for a while and as much as I like your place… I'm more used to something a bit bigger." I bit my lip, wondering if I had jumped the gun. Maybe Edward had no intention of moving in with me, maybe he thought I was some sort of clingy, needy girlfriend for even suggesting it.

"My lease runs out in two months, do you think we'll be able to find something before that?" he asked a huge grin splitting his face.

"I'm sure we can work something out." I grinned right back at him.

"I love you Bella Swan, so, so much." He whispered reverently.

"I love you too, Edward Cullen." I whispered back and as he leaned into to kiss me, I knew that allowing Edward to prove me wrong was the best decision I had ever made. I had a feeling it might be the best decision I would ever make.

**A/N: That's it guys….The end… just the epi to go!**

**So… I've had a couple of requests for a sequel to this story. What do you guys think? Would you read it? AND if I were to write it, what would you like it to focus on?**

**Let me know!**


	25. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters.**

**Epilogue: 3 years later…**

"Where's my big girl?" I called out as I walked in the door at home.

"Here, here!" Charlotte cried as she came tearing around the corner and jumped into my arms.

"You're going to be a big sister very soon!"

"I know! My brother is coming!" she replied.

Just then Edward poked his head around the corner, "Oh, good, you're home… I need to get to the studio and check the proofs from yesterdays shoot. I won't be long, call me when the baby comes."

"I just talked to Em, the doctors think it will still be a while, yet. So you've got some time." I explained.

"Okay, I'm looking forward to seeing the shots, you looked so beautiful, baby."

I spent the day before with Edward taking promotional shots for my new movie. It was written into all my contracts now that he was the only still photographer that I would work with. Not because he needed the work, though. Once the pre-Oscar shots were bought by a very reputable magazine, Edward's status as a 'photographer' skyrocketed. He hasn't papped since.

But he is the only photographer I will work with simply because we love to work together and it gives us some extra time together when our schedules are extra busy. Edward also refuses to let me pose for other photographers because he gets too jealous.

I kissed him good bye as he walked out the door and turned to Charlotte, "How do you feel about going to Mc Donald's for dinner?"

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!" she screamed.

Rose discovered she was pregnant with Charlotte about five weeks after the Oscars. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize Edward and I weren't the only ones taking comfort in each other that night.

Emmett and Rose took off for Vegas the very next day and got married, not wanting their child to be born out of wedlock. After Charlotte was born they had a more formal wedding in the garden of their new house. Rose wore a simple, ivory, satin sheath and she looked radiant.

She was currently in labour with their second child, a son. Edward and I were watching Charlotte for them while they were in the hospital.

Alice called while I was watching Charlotte tear around the playground at Mc Donald's.

"Hey…just calling for an update." She said after my greeting.

"Last I spoke to Em, it was still going to be a while. Probably not until very late tonight or the early hours of tomorrow, I'd guess."

"Okay, let us know straight away!"

"Of course. How're you feeling?" I asked. Alice had been unwell lately, she thought she had picked up a bug that she just couldn't shake, but lately she was wondering if it was Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (she was exhausted all the time) caused by the stress of launching her own line. Mary Alice designs showed at New York Fashion Week just two weeks earlier, to critical acclaim.

"Starting to pick up actually. I think it was just the stress, actually."

"Good, I was worried about you."

We ended the call with Alice demanding I call the minute I found out anything about Rose, no matter what time.

I pulled a very tired Charlotte away from the playground and took her back to mine and Edward's house. She was asleep in her car seat before we even got there. I carried her upstairs and placed her in bed, pulling her shoes off and tucking her in.

"Aunt Bella?" she asked sleepily, "Am I a sister now?"

"Not Yet, Honey. But when you wake up you will be, okay?"

"Okay." She yawned and promptly fell back to sleep.

As I turned to leave the room I was startled to find Edward standing in the doorway, trademark lopsided grin on his face.

"Oh… you scared me," I swatted his arm as I walked past and closed the door quietly, "What are you smiling at?"

"You're so good with her. You'll be such a great mother…"

"One day," I interrupted him and turned to walk back downstairs.

Edward and I had been together just over three years and though we'd talked about our future together, marriage had never come up and he obviously had not proposed yet, much to my dismay. It wasn't a source of contention between us, as he had no idea I was feeling that way and I was so happy with him that it seemed greedy to want the ring, too.

It actually didn't become apparent to me how much I wanted to marry Edward until last year at Alice and Jasper's wedding. She had taken eighteen months after Jasper proposed to plan her perfect wedding and it really was perfect. Perfect flowers, perfect food, perfect cake, and perfect dress. It was the most amazing wedding I had ever seen and while I was so incredibly happy for my friends, it left me wanting.

"Hey," Edward interrupted my musings, "You okay?" he asked quietly as he tugged on my hand and pulled me into his arms.

"Yeah…just tired, I guess."

"Well, come on then." He dragged me to the couch and pulled me against his side as we sat down, "We should probably try to get some rest."

"MmmHmm" I replied and snuggled further into him, reminding myself that I didn't need a ring to be content with Edward.

My phone ringing from the pocket of my jeans woke me an indeterminate amount of time later.

"Hello?" I rasped out and cleared my throat.

"B, she did it… she had the baby…my baby…our baby….he's here!"

I was instantly awake, "That's awesome Em, give me the details."

"Okay…umm… he was nine pound and seven ounces, he has curly black hair…like me… he is twenty-four inches long…he's just perfect, B."

"What's his name?"

"Oh, Riley…Riley Emmett Mc Carty."

"That's gorgeous Em… I'm so happy for you guys! Get some sleep okay, we'll bring Charlotte by in the morning."

After getting off the phone with Emmett I filled Edward in on the details and called Alice. I thought I would be too excited to sleep, but as soon as Edward dragged me up to bed, I was out like a light.

~x~x~

Charlotte was immediately enamoured with her baby brother, climbing up to her mother's side on the bed and cuddling up to them. When Rose asked if I would like to hold the baby, I immediately scooped him up.

Edward watched from the other side of the room as I nursed baby Riley and it might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn I saw him wipe away a tear.

Alice and Jasper arrived a short time later and I reluctantly gave Riley over to Alice for her turn.

"I suppose I better get used to this," Alice mused as she held the baby.

"Are you guys trying?" I asked excitedly.

"No need," she replied, "I'm already pregnant." She said it so calmly that I thought she was joking, but when I saw the beaming smile taking up half of Jasper's face I knew she wasn't.

"Oh my God, Congratulations!" I whisper-cried, so not to wake the baby.

I embraced her and asked how she found out. She explained that her mystery illness was actually pregnancy, but because she had been so busy with the fashion show, she neglected to realise her period was so late.

"I haven't been to the doctor yet, but from my calculations, I'm about ten week along." She finished.

This time it was my turn to wipe tears from my eyes as Edward wrapped his arms around me from behind.

When Riley woke, wanting to be fed some time later we all piled out of the hospital, to give Rose and Emmett some time alone with Charlotte and Riley.

Edward begged off as soon as we got home to go back to the studio and finish printing the shots, so I went upstairs to take a nap. Feeling happy for my friends, but longing for my own family was exhausting and before I knew it, Edward was shaking me awake.

"Baby, Bella. Wake up."

"Hmmm, what time is it?" I asked sleepily.

"Just after 5." He answered.

"What? How did I sleep so long?"

"You must have been more tired than you thought. I was going to take you out for dinner, but if you're too tired…." He trailed off.

"No, no...I'd love to go to dinner, just give me a few minutes to get ready." I replied, climbing out of bed and noticing for the first time what Edward was wearing. He was dressed in black slack and a white dress shirt with grey pinstripes, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, as usual.

He left the room so I could get ready and I took my cue from what he was wearing, picking out pale pick strapless dress that was fitted to the hips and then flowed out in layers of chiffon to just above the knee. A black satin ribbon tied around the waist completed the look.

I left my hair down in soft waves and kept my makeup simple. I slipped on a pair of nude coloured flats with a flower at the toe and walked downstairs to meet Edward.

His eyes raked up form my shoes to my face and he sucked in a breath, "You look beautiful." He said as he walked toward me and pulled me in for a heated kiss.

I couldn't work out where we were going and he refused to tell me, claiming it was a surprise and when we pulled up at a small secluded part of the beach, I was surprised.

"What are we doing here? I thought we were going for dinner." I asked confused.

"We are… you'll see."

I was about to ask Edward what this was all about when he lead me through a small cluster of trees to the sand and the question died on my lips. There was a picnic rug laid out on the sand and it was surrounded by hundreds of tiny tea light candles. Crisp white lilies were scattered around the candles and there was a bucket of ice with champagne chilling next to a picnic basket.

"Edward, what is all this?" I asked in awe.

"Hmmm, I was going to wait until after dinner to do this, but the anticipation is killing me already," he dropped to his knee in front of me and my heart must have known what was about to happen because it started pounding furiously in my chest and tears began streaming down my cheeks.

"Bella, I love you more than words could possibly express. You are my sunshine, you make everything around me brighter and warmer. I can't imagine spending even one day of my life without you… you are my life now. Will you do me the incredible honour of becoming my wife?"

"Yes!" I screamed and dropped to my knees to kiss him all over his face. He laughed at me before grabbing my face in his palms and pulling me into a passionate kiss.

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Edward."

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my existence with you, Bella."

The End…

**A/N: Okay…that's all folks.**

**At this stage I will not be posting a sequel as only three people asked for one. I may change my mind at some stage, or I might start posting an entirely new story… haven't made up my mind yet!**

**Thank you so much to all the readers, your encouragement has meant so much to me during this process!**


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